

ScaleNet: For All You Want to Know About
Scale InsectsBy Hank Becker April 23, 1999
Doug Miller is one of the worlds leading experts on scale insects. If
you doubt this, check out ScaleNet. ScaleNet, designed to bring information about scale insects to homeowners,
farmers and scientists, is on the World Wide Web at: http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/scalenet/scalenet.htm Scale insects damage millions of dollars worth of food, ornamental, fiber
and greenhouse crops each year. Until ScaleNet, information about the pests was
buried in thousands of scientific journals and books--making it difficult for
the average person to locate. Miller, with the Agricultural Research
Service, developed ScaleNet with colleagues in
Israel and
Canada. When completed, it will allow
the lay person to locate every single scale insect that Miller and other
experts over the centuries have found and named--plus more important
information. Through keyword searches and other queries, ScaleNet site provides
comprehensive information including the insects' biology, classification,
naming history, distribution, plant hosts, economic importance, controls and
scientific literature about them. Miller describes ScaleNet as a treasure house of information generated by
researchers worldwide on all scientific and common names of scale. These names
are hot-linked with key words. Reference information includes journal titles,
dates, annotations and authors. Homeowners can use ScaleNet to hunt for names of the scale insects on their
hibiscus. Farmers can use it to find out what scale insect is frolicking in the
alfalfa. Federal regulatory officials at U.S. ports of entry can log onto the site as
well. USDAs
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service officials will use it to get instant information on which scales
occur on what U.S. crops and where they are known to occur. This information is
vital to keeping unwanted foreign pests from sneaking into the U.S., where they
have no natural enemies. ARS is the principal research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Scientific contact: Douglass R. Miller, ARS
Systematic Entomology Laboratory,
Beltsville, Md., phone (301) 504-5895, fax (301) 786-9422,
[email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |