UCF Biology Professor Joshua King has won the 2023 Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize and $100,000 for an innovation he created to control a ubiquitous pest — fire ants. His invention is a non-toxic method to manage fire ants and eliminates the need for harmful pesticides, which helps keep the environment and other ground-nesting animals safe. […]
Story by Barbara Abney The future of the tiny Florida Grasshopper Sparrow may rest on a hot-water blaster that safely fends off fire ants, which threaten the remaining 100 or so wild sparrows in Central Florida. Joshua King, a self-described ant nerd, ecologist and entomologist at the University of Central Florida, received $15,500 from the […]
Thousands of scholars from all over the world gathered in Orlando with one thing in common: A love for bugs. The 2016 International Congress of Entomology conference was held at the Orange County Convention Center from Sept. 25 – 30. Faculty and students from the University of Central Florida’s Department of Biology played a large […]
Growing up in a rural community in New England, Joshua King, Ph.D., entomologist and associate professor in the Department of Biology, began his exploration in the life sciences as many children do: outdoors. With a voracious curiosity, King developed a hobby of observing and collecting insects. Inspired by the support and encouragement of his high […]
Recently, ‘UCF’s Ant King’, Joshua King, was featured on FOX for his work with fire ants. Tom Johnson, of FOX35, interviewed King about his fascination with fire ants, how fire ants came to Florida, and even a few tips on killing the pests. Below is the full video and article on Joshua King from FOX35. […]