Héctor Cárcamo, Ph. D.

Research Scientist

Elucidating insect-plant interactions to validate economic thresholds for prairie crop pests

Development and integration of biological and cultural control approaches with chemical control to improve the sustainability of crop production

Biodiversity conservation studies with a focus on carabid beetles and spiders

The role of natural enemies in contributing to pest management

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

5403 1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta

Current research and/or projects

Projects

Validation of canola insect pest action thresholds. Project Leader(s): H. Carcamo. Collaborators: J. Otani, D. Bruhjell, T. Wist, J. Gavloski (MAFRI), S. Meers (AAF), A. Costamagna (U of MB)

Integrated approaches for flea beetle control – seeding rates, economic thresholds, prediction models, landscape effects, and natural enemies. Project Leader(s): A. Costamagna (U of MB), T. Wist is AAFC Cluster Lead. Collaborators: H. Carcamo, J. Otani, J. Gavloski (MAFRI).

Biology and management of pea leaf weevil in support of faba bean and field pea production. Project Leader(s): H. Carcamo. Collaborators: M. Evenden, D. Bruhjell, R. De Clerck Floate, N. Harker, J. Broatch (AAF), S. Chatterton.

Sustainable reduced chemical strategies to manage pea leaf weevil in pulse crops in Saskatchewan. Project Leader(s): M. Vankosky. Collaborators: M. Evenden, H. Carcamo, B. Mori.

Biological control of cabbage seedpod weevil. Project Leader(s): H. Carcamo. Collaborators: G. Labrie, E. Lucas, L. Belzile, P. Bouchard, T. Gariepy, P. Mason, M. Vankosky, B. Mori, D. Johnson, S. Meers.

Seed Forage insect pest management. Project Leader(s): H. Carcamo and J. Otani. Collaborators: B. Mori, M. Vankosky

Lygus biological control in emerging and established crops. Project Leader(s): H. Carcamo. Collaborators: Geneviève Labrie, Dan Johnson, Kevin Floate, Diana Wilches, Piratheepa Jegatheeswaran

Research and/or project statements

Our team researches ecological insect pest management strategies to improve the environmental sustainability of crop production

Professional activities / interests

Subject Editor for Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 2014-present.

Secretary of the Entomological Society of Alberta, 2018 to present.

Head Organizer (Chair) of the 6th Joint Meeting of the Entomological Societies of Alberta and Saskatchewan, October 3rd-5th, Elkwater, Alberta.

Co-Editor of Special Issue of Canadian Entomologist to commemorate 40th anniversary of the Biological Survey of Canada (2016-2017).

Co-editor, Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands (Biodiversity and Systematics), Volumes 3-4, published in 2014.

Research Leader for the Field Crops unit at the Lethbridge Research Centre (2012-2013).

+160 abstracts published in conference proceedings, scientific programs or meeting minutes from 1989 to 2019.

40+ miscellaneous publications including thesis, reports and extension articles.

Numerous extension contacts including entomological presentations to elementary school children, business groups, invited lectures or seminars at universities, entomology updates to producer organizations and television, radio and print media interviews.

Reviewer. External referee for scientific manuscripts submitted to international entomology, agronomy, ecology and soil biology journals.

Mentor/supervisor to university undergraduate and graduate students employed at the Lethbridge Research Centre .

Education and awards

Education:

1993-1997 Ph. D. Soil Ecology, University of Calgary

(Effect of sulphur pollution on forest floor invertebrates)

1990-1992 M. Sc. Entomology, University of Alberta

(Effect of agricultural practice on ground beetles)

1986-1990 B.Sc. Agricultural Entomology (distinction)

University of Alberta

Awards:

AAFC Gold Harvest Award, Team member recipient 2015 and 2016 (Insect Pest Field Guide, and Integrated Agronomy)

APHIS – USDA Administrators Award, Team member recipient 2010 (Cereal Leaf Beetle Biocontrol)

IPM Team Award, Pacific Branch of The Entomological Society of America, 2009 (Biological Control)

2013 Canadian Society of Agronomy Outstanding Paper Award in the Canadian Journal of Plant Science:

Beres, B.L., H.A. Cárcamo, J.R. Byers, F.R. Clarke, C.J. Pozniak, S.K. Basu, et al. 2013. Host plant interactions between wheat germplasm source and wheat stem sawfly Cephus cinctus Norton (Hymenoptera: Cephidae) I. Commercial cultivars. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 93:607-617.

Beres, B.L., H.A. Cárcamo, J.R. Byers, F.R. Clarke, C.J. Pozniak, S.K. Basu, et al. 2013. Host plant interactions between wheat germplasm source and wheat stem sawfly Cephus cinctus Norton (Hymenoptera: CephidaeII. Other germplasm. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 93: 1169-1177 doi:10.4141/CJPS2013-035

International experience and/or work

International experience:
Mentorship of graduate students from China, France, Colombia, Iran, India, Sirilanka

Additional links

https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=x6i4rZMAAAAJ&hl=en

Key publications

Otani, J., Weiss, R., Rounce, T., Giffen, D., Peru, C., Tansey, J., Barkley, S., Gavloski, J., Carcamo, H., Olfert, O., Vankosky, M. 2022. Prairie Pest Monitoring Network “Weekly Update” Webpage-bulletin, August 26, 2022 edition (Issue 16). url: https://prairiepest.ca/2022/week-16/#post_13813 (retrieved 2022Nov16).
2022 - View publication details
Otani, J., Weiss, R., Rounce, T., Giffen, D., Carcamo, H., Barkley, S., Peru, C., Tansey, J., Gavloski, J., Olfert, O., Vankosky, M. 2022. Prairie Pest Monitoring Network “Weekly Update” Webpage-bulletin, August 19, 2022 edition (Issue 15). url: https://prairiepest.ca/2022/week-15/#post_13723 (retrieved 2022Nov16).
2022 - View publication details
Otani, J., Weiss, R., Rounce, T., Giffen, D., Wist, T., Carcamo, H., Domnich, I., Evenden, M., Gavloski, J., Tansey, J., Peru, C., Barkley, S., Olfert, O., Vankosky, M. 2022. Prairie Pest Monitoring Network “Weekly Update” Webpage-bulletin, July 29, 2022 edition (Issue 12). url: https://prairiepest.ca/2022/week-12/#post_13449 (retrieved 2022Nov16).
2022 - View publication details
Vankosky, M., H. Carcamo. 2021.The pea leaf weevil: an invasive pest that could impact field pea and faba bean production in Manitoba. Pulse Beat. Fall / Winter Edition. Pages 49 - 50.
2021 - View publication details
Carcamo, H.A, S. Daniels, R. Branst. 2021. Parasitism of lygus and alfalfa plant bugs by Peristenus wasps in southern Alberta, Canada. Abstract of the 2021 Entomological Society of Canada Conference. 15-18 November 2021. Online meeting.
2021 - View publication details
Carcamo, H.A. Seedpod weevil and lygus bug biological control in Canada. 2021. Online presentation for the Technical Meeting of the GLOBAL COUNCIL FOR INNOVATION IN RAPESEED AND CANOLA, held online due to covid19.
2021 - View publication details
Willsey, T., Patey, J., Vucurevich, C., Chatterton, S., Carcamo, H. (2021). Evaluation of foliar and seed treatments for integrated management of root rot and pea leaf weevil in field pea and faba bean. Crop Protection, [online] 143 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2021.105538
2021 - View publication details
Cárcamo, H., Beres, B., Wu, X., Larson, T., Schwinghamer, T. (2020). Effect of Plant Density on Wheat Stem Sawfly Sex Ratio. Frontiers in Agronomy, [online] 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2020.00004
2020 - View publication details
Cárcamo, H.A., Meers, S.B., Herle, C.E. (2019). Managing cabbage seedpod weevils (coleoptera: Curculionidae) in canola (brassicaceae)-are lygus (hemiptera: Miridae) affected. The Canadian Entomologist, [online] 151(1), 85-93. http://dx.doi.org/10.4039/tce.2018.57
2019 - View publication details
Otani, J., Soroka, J., Elliott, B., Olfert, O., Costamagna, A., Carcamo, H., Nagalingham, T., Gavloski, J., Wist, T. 2019. Flea beetles in canola. 2019 FarmTech held January 29-31, 2019, at Edmonton, Alberta. Invited speaker.
2019 - View publication details
Floate, K.D., Shorthouse, J.D., Giberson, D.J., Cárcamo, H.A. (2017). Arthropods of Canadian grasslands: A retrospective of a 40-year project of the Biological Survey of Canada. The Canadian Entomologist, [online] 149(6), 702-707. http://dx.doi.org/10.4039/tce.2017.46
2017 - View publication details
Kher, S.V., Cárcamo, H.A., Evenden, M.L., Dosdall, L.M. (2017). Olfactory host-finding behaviour of Oulema melanopus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and its parasitoid, Tetrastichus julis (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Journal of Applied Entomology, [online] 141(9), 740-750. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jen.12394
2017 - View publication details
Beres, B.L., Hill, B.D., Cárcamo, H.A., Knodel, J.J., Weaver, D.K., Cuthbert, R.D. (2017). An artificial neural network model to predict wheat stem sawfly cutting in solid-stemmed wheat cultivars. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, [online] 97(2), 329-336. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjps-2016-0364
2017 - View publication details
Nagalingham, T., T.F.S. Guimaraes, J. OTANI, H. Carcamo, T. Wist, J. Gavloski, A.C. Costamagna. 2016. Species composition and seasonal pattern of occurrence of flea beetles in the prairies. The 72nd Meeting of the Entomological Society of Manitoba held at Winnipeg MB from October 28-29, 2016.
2016 - View publication details
T.L. Willsey, S. Chatterton, J. Thomas, and H.A. Carcamo. Intra-host interactions of soil-borne pathogens and an insect herbivore in field pea. Canadian Pulse Research Workshop, Winnipeg MB, October 26 – 28, 2016. (oral presentation)
2016 - View publication details
S. Kaur, J. Thomas, S. Meers, S. Chatterton, and H.A. Carcamo. 2016. Causal agents of necrotic spots on faba beans: lygus, Botrytis spp., or both? Canadian Pulse Research Workshop, Winnipeg MB, October 26 – 28, 2016. (oral presentation)
2016 - View publication details
Brian L Beres, Bernard D. Hill, Héctor A Cárcamo, Janet J. Knodel, David K. Weaver, and Richard Cuthbert. A neural network model to predict wheat stem sawfly cutting in solid-stemmed wheat cultivars, 2016 Joint Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society of Agronomy and the Canadian Society of Horticultural Sciences, Montreal, QC, Canada. July 24-26. Pg. 22.
2016 - View publication details
OTANI, J., Giffen, D., Weiss, R., Carcamo, H., Hartley, S., Olfert, O. 2016. Prairie Pest Monitoring Network e-Bulletin – May 25, 2016 edition. 2016-4:1-22. http://goo.gl/lzUyrK
2016 - View publication details
Brian L. Beres, and Hector A. Cárcamo. 2016. Historical review and current status of the wheat stem sawfly, 7th International Wheat Stem Sawfly Conference, Fort Collins, CO USA, March 15-16
2016 - View publication details
Cárcamo, H.A., Otani, J.K., Harker, N., Reid, P., Broatch, J.S., Meers, S., Barkley, S., and Daniels, S. (2015). "Of lygus and canola: Where is the threshold?", Entomological Society of Alberta Annual General Meeting, Jasper, AB, Canada, October 1-3, 2015.
2015 - View publication details