Nan-Yao Su Recognized with NCUE’s Distinguished Achievement Award in Urban Entomology

Nan-Yao Su with a plaque recognizing him with the NCUE’s Distinguished Achievement Award in Urban Entomology. (Photo: Brad Harbison)

TULSA, Okla. — To kick off the 21st annual National Conference on Urban Entomology (NCUE), University of Florida Professor Dr. Nan-Yao Su was presented with the Distinguished Achievement Award in Urban Entomology, the organization’s highest honor. Su was recognized for his many contributions to the pest management industry, as well as the field of urban entomology.

A native of Taiwan who received his doctorate from the University of Hawaii, Su is a nationally and internationally recognized authority on subterranean termites, having authored or co-authored 170 publications and five book chapters. He also is involved in collaborative research projects in Chile, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Australia and Japan. Su has been an advisor to eight post-doctorate associates, seven Ph.D. recipients and seven master’s recipients.

Su is perhaps best known for his groundbreaking research that led to the development of what became the Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System. Virginia Tech’s Dr. Dini Miller, a member of NCUE’s Awards Committee, read an excerpt from Su’s nomination letter, which stated: “Dr. Su’s innovative research on population ecology of subterranean termites and slow-acting control agents has led to the co-development with Dow AgroSciences of the monitoring and baiting system for population control of subterranean termites commercially known as the Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System. This technology has profoundly changed the way termites are controlled worldwide. Presently it is marketed in 18 countries and protects more than 2 million structures worldwide.”

Su then presented the Arnold Mallis Memorial Award Lecture titled “…Bind the past, define the present, and predict the future…” – A sequel to Subterranean termites: A personal perspective by J.P. LaFage (1986). Su used the opportunity to reflect on the work of early termite researchers, many of whom have blazed the trail for today’s researchers. PCT’s Brad Harbison caught up with Su to discuss this accolade and get his perspective on termites.

PCT: What is the significance of the NCUE’s Distinguished Achievement Award in Urban Entomology?
Su: It’s a tremendous honor. If you look at the past recipients, people like Walter Ebeling, considered the founder of urban entomology, Francis Weesner, who is like the grandmother of urban entomology, and Coby Schal — one of the top scientists in the country —  to be recognized in the same rank is just tremendous. If you look at the big picture, look at the accomplishments from people like that, you realize how little you are. Many of the things we do are only possible because of the work done by the people before us.

PCT: How has research changed throughout the years?
Su: Researchers in the old days had tremendous depth and breadth — in terms of the wide-range of topics they studied. They were so wise in the ways they were doing things. In the old days, these people were left alone to do what they loved to do. Today, we are so visually oriented. If there is a problem you have to solve it now. We are wrapped up in the detail sometimes and lose focus of the big picture.

PCT: Why did you decide to study termites and what do you like about these pests?
Su: There is a practical reason and more of a profound reason. First, here is the practical reason: Before I did termite research in Hawaii, I studied the silkworm in Japan. Just like any other type of entomological research, the most difficult part was "Is there enough insects to do a study?" I spent a lot of time rearing silkworms just to have enough to do my research. When I arrived at Hawaii one of the first things I noticed was that there were tons of termites. When I was on the campus I picked up a piece of wood, opened it up and found like 3,000 termites in it. I said, "This is it. This is my insect.”

As for the profound reason, I was very interested in social insects. Darwin said "all genes are selfish" — you have to go ahead and spread your genes. Social insects don’t do that. They actually sacrifice themselves so their siblings and parents can reproduce. That was the question I was interested in because “natural selection” should not favor that. Natural selection should favor selfish behavior — not unselfish. That’s still a mystery to me. They can explain that in honeybees and wasps, but still cannot explain that in termites.

PCT: Where do you see termite research heading in the future?
Su: I see many researchers using DNA to do fantastic work. That is a very interesting tool. But it is a tool, just like anything else. I would like to see somebody take that tool to that next level. I would like to see somebody instead of just looking at that very small scope of what they do, to fit all the tools together and study from above, shoot at the bull’s eye and come up with some grandiose research.

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Richard Houseman (left), University of Missouri and co-chair of the NCUE presents a plaqe to Alvaro Romero. (Photo: Brad Harbison) Houseman presents a plaque to Preston Brown. (Photo: Brad Harbison)

Following Su on the program were presentations by NCUE’s student scholarship award winners:  Preston Brown, Virginia Tech — "Changes in diversity: A successional study of the ant species in Puerto Rican housing development"; and Alvaro Romero, University of Kentucky — "Bed bug research: Catching up with a forgotten pest."

These were followed by a series of student paper presentations on such diverse topics as gut expression profiles in R. flavipes to the population explosion of pest ant species in the presence of S. invicta. Students and their respective universities represented included: Maria Teresa Ferreira, University of Florida (Ft. Lauderdale); Preston Brown, Virginia Tech; Ameya Gondhalekar, University of Florida; Matthew Tarver, University of Florida; Nicola Gallagher, Ohio State University; and Hamilton Allen; Virginia Tech.

Sponsors of the conference include: BASF, Bayer Environmental Science, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont Professional Products, MGK, Orkin, Pest Control Technology (PCT) magazine, Pest Management Professional magazine, S.C. Johnson & Son, Syngenta Professional Products, Terminix and Whitmire Micro-Gen.

The NCUE continues through Wednesday.