1980 Folwell Ave
St Paul, MN 55108
United States
Ph.D. University of Minnesota, 1991, Entomology
Areas of Interest
Sustainable IPM in cropping systems, behavior and ecology of native bees in agricultural and natural landscapes, entomophagy
Why we should all eat bugs - TEDx Minneapolis
Teaching
- ENT 1909: Got Bees? Declines and Conservation of Honey bees and Native bees
- ENT 3211/5211: Insect Pest Management
- ESPM 2021: Environmental Sciences: Integrated Problem Solving
- HSEM 2637H: Small but Impactful: Insects and the Environment (Honors)
Select Publications
2015-2024
Eeraets, M., Chabert, S., DeVetter, L. W., Batáry, P., Ternest, J. J., ….Rao, S., …….Isaac, R. 2024. Pollination deficits and their relation with insect pollinator visitation are cultivar-dependent in an entomophilous crop. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2024.109036.
Eeraerts, M., DeVetter, L., Batáry, P., Ternest, J., Mallinger, R.E., ….Rao, S.,….. Isaacs, R. 2023. Synthesis of highbush blueberry pollination reveals region-specific differences in the contributions of honeybees and wild bees. Journal of Applied Ecology 60: 2528-2539.DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14516.
Boone, M. Portman, Z, M., Lane, I., Rao, S. 2023. Occupancy of Bombus affinis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Minnesota is highest in developed areas when standardized surveys are employed. Environmental Entomology. 10.1093/ee/nvad088.
Tran, A.K., Kees, A. M., Hutchison, W. D., Aukema, B. H., Rao, S., Rogers, M., Asplen, M. K. 2022. Comparing Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) flight behavior with free flight and tethered flight assays. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 170:973-981.
Allen‐Perkins, A., Magrach, A., Dainese, M.,Garibaldi, L.A.,…, Rao, S.,...,Bartomeus, I. 2021. CropPol: a dynamic, open and global database on crop pollination. Ecology doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3614.
Reilly, J., Artz, D. R., Biddinger, D….Rao, S. …and Winfree, R. 2020. Crop yield in the USA is frequently limited by a lack of pollinators. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 287: 20200922. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0922
Petersen, M., Olson, O. and Rao, S. 2020. University Student Perspectives of Entomophagy: Positive Attitudes Leads to Observability and Education Opportunities. Journal of Insect Science. 20(5): 30. https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieaa120
Reilly, J., Artz, D. R., Biddinger, D…Rao, S. …Winfree, R. 2020. Crop yield in the USA is frequently limited by a lack of pollinators. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 287: 20200922. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0922
Neave, M. J., Brown, J., Batley, M., Rao, S., Cunningham, S. A. 2020. Phenology of a bee community over a ten year period in South Eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.12488
Lybrand, R., Fedenko, J., Tfaily, M. and Rao, S. 2020. Soil properties and biochemical composition of ground-dwelling bees and sand wasp nests in agricultural settings. Soil Science Society of America Journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20085
Nicholson, C., Ward, K., Williams, N., Isaacs., Mason, K., Wilson, J., Brokaw, J. Gut, L., Rothwell, N., Wood, T., Rao, S., Hoffman, G., Gibbs, J., Thorp, R., Ricketts, T. 2020. Mismatched outcomes for biodiversity and ecosystem services: testing the responses of crop pollinators and wild bee biodiversity to habitat enhancement. Ecology Letters. 23: 326-335. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13435
Lande, C., Rao, S., Morré, J. T., Galindo, G., Kirby, J., Reardon, P. N., Bobe, G., Stevens, J. F. 2019. Linden (Tilia cordata) associated bumble bee mortality: Metabolomic analysis of nectar and bee muscle. PLoS ONE https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218406
Rao, S., Hoffman, G., Kirby, J., Horne, D. 2019. Remarkable long-distance returns to a forage patch by artificially displaced wild bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Journal of Apicultural Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2019.1584962
Hoffman, G., Lande, C., Rao, S. 2018. A novel pollen transfer mechanism by honey bee foragers on highbush blueberry (Ericales: Ericaceae). Environ Entomol. 47(6):1465-1470. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvy162
Ostroverkhova, O., Galindo, G., Lande, C., Kirby, J., Hoffman, G., Rao, S. 2018. Understanding innate preferences of wild bee species: responses to wavelength-dependent selective excitation of blue and green photoreceptor types. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 204(7): 667-675. DOI: 10.1007/s00359-018-1269-x
Ahn, S-J., Martin, R., Rao, S. and Choi, M-Y. 2017. Neuropeptides predicted from the transcriptome analysis of the gray garden slug Deroceras reticulatum. Peptides. DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2017.05.005
Ahn, S-J., Martin, R., Rao, S. and Choi, M-Y. 2017. The complete mitochondrial genome of the gray garden slug Deroceras reticulatum (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Stylommatophora). Mitochondrial DNA Part B: Resources. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2017.1318677
Rao, S. Poinar, G. and Henley, D. 2016. A scientific note on rare parasitism of the bumble bee pollinator, Bombus impatiens, by a mermithid nematode, Pheromermis sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae). Apidologie. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-016-0451-9
Kang, L., Natarajan, A., Rao, S. and Chiang, P. 2016. Design and Optimization of Area-Constrained Wirelessly-Powered CMOS UWB SoC for Localization Applications. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.64: 1042-1054. DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2016.2536663
Rao, S. and Ostroverkhova, O. 2015. Visual outdoor response of multiple wild bee species: highly selective stimulation of a single photoreceptor by sunlight-induced fluorescence. Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 201: 705-716. DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-0983-x
Maxfield-Taylor, S., Mujic, A. B., and Rao, S. 2015. First detection of the larval chalkbrood disease pathogen, Ascosphaera apis (Ascomycota: Eurotiomycetes: Ascosphaerales) in adult bumble bees. PLoS ONE 10(4): e0124868. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124868
Honors and Awards
2009-2024 only
2024 - Borealis Night of Excellence Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Minnesota
2023 - FAME (Faculty Award for Mentorship in Entomology), Graduate Association, University of Minnesota
2022 - ESA Fellow - Teaching category, Entomological Society of America
2021 - Thank a Teacher Certificate, Center for Teaching & Learning, University of Minnesota
2017 - Nominated for Woodworth Award, Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America
2013 - Student Mentoring Award, Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America
2012 - Fulbright Scholar Award, Council for International Exchange of Scholars
2011 - Nominated by Dean for USDA Excellence in College and University Teaching Award
2010 - Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching, Entomological Society of America
2009 - Hodson Alumnus Award, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota
Students Advised
- Michelle Boone, PhD, 2023
- Anh Tran, PhD, 2021