John Tooker

Professor of Entomology

John Tooker

Huck Graduate Students

Huck Affiliations

Most Recent Publications

Acute toxicity of neonicotinoid insecticides to ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Pennsylvania

Kirsten A. Pearsons, John F. Tooker, 2025, Environmental Entomology on p. 574-584

Two new species of Ormyrus Westwood (Hymenoptera: Ormyridae) from Cynipidae (Hymenoptera) galls on Silphium L. (Asteraceae: Heliantheae)

Louis F. Nastasi, Charles K. Davis, Jelani K. Alcorn, Timothy S. Frey, M. J. Hatfield, Heather M. Hines, John F. Tooker, Andrew R. Deans, 2025, Zootaxa on p. 265-287

Does a shift to a novel host plant create a defence-free space for a specialist herbivore species?

Eric C. Yip, Aaron L. Iverson, Tegan E. Anderson, Sofie G. Carlson, Lucy W. Nash, John F. Tooker, 2025, Functional Ecology

An insect pheromone primes tolerance of herbivory in goldenrod plants

Eric C. Yip, Mark C. Mescher, Consuelo M. De Moraes, John F. Tooker, 2025, Ecology

Insecticides may facilitate the escape of weeds from biological control

Elizabeth K. Rowen, Kirsten Ann Pearsons, Richard G. Smith, Kyle Wickings, John F. Tooker, 2025, PeerJ

Illuminating patterns of firefly abundance using citizen science data and machine learning models

Darin J. McNeil, Sarah C. Goslee, Melanie Kammerer, Sarah E. Lower, John F. Tooker, Christina M. Grozinger, 2024, Science of the Total Environment

Cryptic or underworked? Taxonomic revision of the Antistrophus rufus species complex (Cynipoidea, Aulacideini)

Louis F. Nastasi, John F. Tooker, Charles K. Davis, Cecil N. Smith, Timothy S. Frey, M. J. Hatfield, Tara M. Presnall, Heather M. Hines, Andrew R. Deans, 2024, Journal of Hymenoptera Research on p. 399-439

Seasonal bee communities vary in their responses to resources at local and landscape scales: implication for land managers

Melanie Kammerer, Aaron L. Iverson, Kevin Li, John F. Tooker, Christina M. Grozinger, 2024, Landscape Ecology

Catalog of Endophytic Insects Associated with Rosinweeds (Silphium L., Heliantheae, Asteraceae) in North America

Louis F. Nastasi, Cecil N. Smith, John Frazier Tooker, Andrew R. Deans, 2024, Psyche: Journal of Entomology

Vertical tillage effects on crop production and pest management in Pennsylvania

Andrew Lefever, John M. Wallace, Paul Esker, Charles White, Charles White, Sjoerd W. Duiker, Sjoerd Duiker, Paul D. Esker, John Tooker, 2023, Journal of Production Agriculture on p. 520-530

Most-Cited Papers

Large-scale deployment of seed treatments has driven rapid increase in use of neonicotinoid insecticides and preemptive pest management in U.S. Field crops

Margaret R. Douglas, John F. Tooker, 2015, Environmental Science & Technology on p. 5088-5097

Bee nutrition and floral resource restoration

Anthony Vaudo, John F. Tooker, Christina M. Grozinger, Harland M. Patch, 2015, Current Opinion in Insect Science on p. 133--141

Macronutrient ratios in pollen shape bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) foraging strategies and floral preferences

Anthony D. Vaudo, Harland M. Patch, David A. Mortensen, John F. Tooker, Christina M. Grozinger, 2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. E4035-E4042

Pollen protein: Lipid macronutrient ratios may guide broad patterns of bee species floral preferences

Anthony Vaudo, John Tooker, Harland M. Patch, David J. Biddinger, Michael Coccia, Makaylee Crone, Mark Fiely, Jacob Francis, Heather M. Hines, Mackenzie Hodges, Stephanie Jackson, Denis Michez, Junpeng Mu, Laura Russo, Maliheh Safari, Erin Treanore, Maryse Vanderplanck, E Yip, Anne Leonard, Christina M. Grozinger, 2020, Insects on p. 132

Neonicotinoid insecticide travels through a soil food chain, disrupting biological control of non-target pests and decreasing soya bean yield

Margaret R. Douglas, Jason R. Rohr, John F. Tooker, 2015, Journal of Applied Ecology on p. 250-260

Bumble bees regulate their intake of essential protein and lipid pollen macronutrients

A. D. Vaudo, D. Stabler, H. M. Patch, J. F. Tooker, C. M. Grozinger, G. A. Wright, 2016, Journal of Experimental Biology on p. 3962--3970

Meta-analysis reveals that seed-applied neonicotinoids and pyrethroids have similar negative effects on abundance of arthropod natural enemies

Margaret R. Douglas, John F. Tooker, 2016, PeerJ

Effects of the herbicide dicamba on nontarget plants and pollinator visitation

Eric W. Bohnenblust, Anthony D. Vaudo, J. Franklin Egan, David A. Mortensen, John F. Tooker, 2016, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry on p. 144-151

Identification of an insect-produced olfactory cue that primes plant defenses

Anjel M. Helms, Consuelo M. De Moraes, Armin Tröger, Hans T. Alborn, Wittko Francke, John F. Tooker, Mark C. Mescher, 2017, Nature Communications

Consistent pollen nutritional intake drives bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) colony growth and reproduction across different habitats

Anthony Vaudo, Liam Farrell, Harland M. Patch, Christina Grozinger, John F. Tooker, 2018, Ecology and Evolution on p. 5765--5776

News Articles Featuring John Tooker

Mar 29, 2025

Insecticides may be helping weeds thrive

Farmers rely on insecticides to protect their crops from damage by pests. But using them too often may lead to an unexpected side effect – more weeds.

Full Article

Mar 21, 2025

Insecticides may contribute to bigger problems with certain weeds

Insecticides may help growers hoping to protect their crops from harmful insects, but they also may contribute to a larger amount of some weeds, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State.

Full Article

Dec 13, 2024

8-year-old boy’s discovery rewrites 100 years of insect and plant knowledge

A boy’s mammoth tooth and another’s ant-inspired study reveal nature’s secrets, linking past and present through curiosity and discovery.

Full Article

Oct 11, 2024

Penn State researchers earn funding for sustainable weed and insect management

Three Penn State research teams have received awards totaling $1.78 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to investigate climate-smart approaches to pest control in agriculture.

Full Article

Sep 11, 2024

Three projects receive Huck Innovative and Transformational Seed Fund grants

Three potentially high-impact, high-risk research projects have been selected to receive seed funding for the latest round of the Huck Innovative and Transformational Seed (HITS) Fund initiative.

Full Article

Jul 04, 2024

Can Citrus Peels Actually Keep Your Garden Pest-Free? 5 Alternatives to Consider

Can you use orange peels in your garden or houseplants to keep pests away? Something about this viral gardening hack making the rounds on TikTok seems a little too good to be true.

Full Article

Apr 29, 2024

Firefly populations at risk due to climate change, urban development

Catching fireflies is an iconic summer experience for many people living in North America, but the flickering beetles are on the decline. New research has identified factors that may be contributing to declining populations.

Full Article

Mar 16, 2024

Robert Miller: Environmentalists renew fight to limit use of neonicotinoids in CT

About neonicotinoids and why/how to limit the usage

Full Article

Oct 16, 2023

Grants awarded to Penn State faculty for tropical ecosystems research in Belize

Three projects have been awarded seed grants as part of the Penn State-Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education Research and Education Initiative to develop agroforestry systems .

Full Article

Apr 05, 2023

Why are snails and slugs so slow?

Wander through your backyard or walk along a stream and it’s likely you’ll see a snail – small, squishy animals with shells on their backs.

Full Article

Mar 01, 2023

Wasps harness power of pitcher plants in first-ever observed defense strategy

As the saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, turn that tartness into little translucent balls in which to grow your young.”

Full Article

Sep 05, 2022

A boy’s backyard discovery two years ago uncovered an incredibly intricate insect-plant interaction

A chance discovery by a professor’s son reveals a surprisingly complex interaction between plants and insects.

Full Article

Mar 21, 2022

The Fight to Save the Embattled Monarch Butterfly

In the depths of the Californian winter, an ember of hope has flickered for the monarch butterfly, the charismatic and beloved visitor that has seemingly been on a graceful descent into oblivion.

Full Article

Mar 09, 2022

EPA Expected to Extend Use of Bee-Killing Pesticides

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to approve a proposal to extend the use of four neonicotinoids for the next 15 years. These pesticides are known to be especially dangerous for essential pollinators, like bees and butterflies, and have been linked to the widespread decline of insect populations.

Full Article

Mar 08, 2022

Fears for bees as US set to extend use of toxic pesticides that paralyse insects

The US Environmental Protection Agency is poised to allow the use of four of the most devastating chemicals to bees, butterflies and other insects to continue in America for the next 15 years, despite moves by the European Union to ban the use of toxins that have been blamed for widespread insect declines.

Full Article

Feb 22, 2022

Farmers are overusing insecticide-coated seeds, with mounting harmful effects on nature

Planting season for corn and soybeans across the U.S. will begin as soon as March in Southern states and then move north. As farmers plant, they will deploy vast quantities of insecticides into the environment, without ever spraying a drop.

Full Article

Apr 05, 2021

US Pesticide Use Is Down, but Damage to Pollinators Is Rising

The use of pesticides has decreased in the US by more than 40 percent since 1992, but the emergence of more-potent chemicals means that they are far more damaging to many species.

Full Article

Apr 01, 2021

Birds versus bees: Here are the winners and losers in the great pesticide trade-off

Farms are battlefields, pitting growers against rapacious pests and aggressive weeds in never-ending, costly campaigns that often involve chemical weapons. Those weapons, alas, also harm innocent bystanders such as bees, fish, and crustaceans. Now, a large study charts epic shifts that have occurred in recent decades as U.S. farmers have changed their arsenal of pesticides.

Full Article

Jan 12, 2021

Climate change reduces the abundance and diversity of wild bees, study finds

Wild bees are more affected by climate change than by disturbances to their habitats, according to a team of researchers led by Penn State. The findings suggest that addressing land-use issues alone will not be sufficient to protecting these important pollinators.

Full Article

Jul 09, 2020

Gall fly outmaneuvers host plant in game of 'Spy vs. Spy'

Over time, goldenrod plants and the gall flies that feed on them have been one-upping each other in an ongoing competition for survival. Now, a team of researchers has discovered that by detecting the plants’ chemical defenses, the insects may have taken the lead.

Full Article

Aug 22, 2019

Half a billion dead honey bees in Brazil show what happens when you roll back pesticide regulations

Insecticides kill insects. It should be no surprise, then, that in Brazil, which has seen a 27% increase in pesticide sales since last year, roughly 500 million honey bees were found dead in piles across four states in early spring.

Full Article

Jul 01, 2019

Find potato leafhoppers in your alfalfa with these 5 tips

Applying insecticides without knowing the number of pests in a field can cost you.

Full Article

May 16, 2019

New crop-destroying pest enters China amid devastating swine fever epidemic

A new pest that threatens key agricultural commodities is spreading through China while the nation already is reeling from an African swine fever epidemic that may wipe out hundreds of millions of hogs.

Full Article

May 02, 2019

Alumna Laura Russo receives Robert May Prize from the British Ecological Society

PSU alumna Laura Russo has been selected to receive the Robert May Prize from the British Ecological Society, the oldest ecological society in the world. The prize recognizes the best paper by an early career researcher in the society’s scientific journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution.

Full Article