Rate My Professor Peter Ellsworth

Peter Ellsworth is a Professor of Entomology and Extension Specialist in the Department of Entomology at the University of Arizona, where he also directs the Arizona Pest Management Center. He earned his B.S. in Entomology from the University of New Hampshire, M.S. in Entomology from the University of Missouri, and Ph.D. in Entomology from North Carolina State University. Ellsworth's research specializes in integrated pest management (IPM) for cotton and other field crops, with emphasis on insect-crop interactions, applied insect ecology, phenology, diapause, insect-water relations, predictive modeling, pest biology, sampling, economic thresholds, and damage dynamics. His principal focus targets key pests including Bemisia tabaci (sweetpotato whitefly), Lygus hesperus, and Pectinophora gossypiella (pink bollworm), alongside conservation biological control, selective insecticides, resistance management, and evaluation of IPM program impacts using pesticide use data.

Over more than three decades at the University of Arizona, Ellsworth has pioneered science-based IPM solutions through ecological research and Cooperative Extension outreach, leading to substantial reductions in broad-spectrum insecticide applications in Arizona cotton. Key publications include 'IPM for Bemisia tabaci: a case study from North America' (Crop Protection, 2001), 'The contribution of conservation biological control to integrated management of Bemisia tabaci in cotton' (Biological Control, 2009), '50 years of the integrated control concept: moving the model and implementation forward in Arizona' (Pest Management Science, 2009), 'Suppressing resistance to Bt cotton with sterile insect releases' (Nature Biotechnology, 2010), and 'Natural Enemies of the Southwest: A field guide to the arthropod natural enemies of southwestern field crops' (2013). His contributions have earned awards such as the Entomological Society of America Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension, the J. Agric. Resource Econ. Outstanding Journal Article Award (2010), the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program 'Shining Star' Award, and the IPM Team Award. Ellsworth has served on IPM coordinating committees, provided editorial input, and delivered numerous public lectures and extension presentations.