Entomology with Bruce Noden
Episode 144 - January 8, 2026
Bruce Noden (Oklahoma State University) joins the podcast to talk about his research on entomology (the study of insects). Bruce introduces his field of study and the particular context of his work on insect-borne diseases in Oklahoma looking at ticks and mosquitoes. He discusses the impacts of climate change on insects as the state’s dry line moves East and recounts several “unusual” experiences with blood-sucking insects in the field. The discussion moves on to reflect on the kind of work Bruce and his students do, before Bruce talks us through the kinds of technology he uses and a few trends in research in his field over the past half century.
Further Reading
- Nicholson, W.L., Sonenshine, D.E., Noden, B.H. and Brown, R.N., Ticks (Ixodida). In Medical and veterinary entomology 2019 Jan 1 (pp. 603-672).
- Reisen, W.K., 2010. Landscape epidemiology of vector-borne diseases. Annual review of entomology, 55(1), pp.461-483.
- de la Fuente, J., Estrada-Peña, A., Rafael, M., Almazán, C., Bermúdez, S., Abdelbaset, A.E., Kasaija, P.D., Kabi, F., Akande, F.A., Ajagbe, D.O. and Bamgbose, T., 2023. Perception of ticks and tick-borne diseases worldwide. Pathogens, 12(10), p.1258.
- Loss, S.R., Noden, B.H. and Fuhlendorf, S.D., 2022. Woody plant encroachment and the ecology of vector‐borne diseases. Journal of Applied Ecology, 59(2), pp.420-430.
- Noden, B.H. and Dubie, T., 2017. Involvement of invasive eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) in the expansion of Amblyomma americanum in Oklahoma. Journal of Vector Ecology, 42(1), pp.178-183.
Our Guest
Bruce Noden
Assistant Professor of Entomology & Plant Pathology – Oklahoma State University