The College of Agriculture and Food Sciences will host the 37th annual Entomology Field Day and Workshop seminar today through Friday.
The field day workshop is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Donald Tucker Civic Center.
This annual event will provide training and education credits for pest control professionals in Florida and other states in order to comply with state standards.
Janice Peter, a FAMU Entomology Field Day coordinator, said this event will feature household pests, termites, lawn and ornamentals.
“Most of the concern this year is fertilizer and environment safety,” Peters said. “We want to educate the participants on what are the correct strategies to implement according to the law.”
According to the Florida Pest Management Association, Florida has more than 20 percent of the nation’s pest management companies with almost 4,000 locations employing 7,000 certified operators and more than 20,000 technicians.
College of Agriculture and Food and Science Director of Communications Marian Gibbons said she is excited about the seminar and is expecting an increase in the number of attendees.
“Entomology is a growing field,” Gibbons said. “Not only will we provide educational workshops, but we recognize entomology scholars with scholarships as well.”
The workshop is an outreach activity that also supports FAMU undergraduate and graduate students majoring in entomology.
Agricultural entomologist Jordan Williamson, president of the Entomology Club, said she has high expectations for this year’s workshop.
Williamson, an entomology senior from Jacksonville, said the workshop is drawing attendees from Florida, and industry leaders from Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia have also registered for the workshop.
“This is an opportunity for our students to get mingle with people who share the same passion,” she said.
Latasha Tanner, a graduate entomology student from Leesburg, Fla., said she is ready for the opportunity to represent her school.
“I enjoy representing the department as a whole,” she said. “It’s a great time to meet new people and learn about new practices in the field.”