About

Rob Venette is an Adjunct Associate Professor and the Director of the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plant & Pest Center at the University of Minnesota. He is also a Research Biologist affiliated with the USDA-Forest Service. His work involves addressing issues related to invasive terrestrial plants and pests, contributing to the management and understanding of invasive species in Minnesota. Venette's role encompasses research and leadership in efforts to control and mitigate the impact of invasive species on local ecosystems.

Research topics

• Geography
• Biology
• Political Science
• Ecology
• Computer Science
• Economics
• Engineering
• Environmental resource management
• Operations research
• Environmental science
• Physical geography
• Business
• Environmental planning
• Risk analysis (engineering)
• Demography

Selected publications

• Cold tolerance of field-collected soybean gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) under laboratory overwintering conditions

  Environmental Entomology · 2026-04-22

  article

  Soybean gall midge, Resseliella maxima Gagné, was first described in 2019 following widespread outbreaks in soybean across the midwestern United States. Larval feeding inside stems causes lesions, lodging, and yield loss. Third instars overwinter in the soil within silken cocoons, but their cold tolerance, an important factor for survival in the temperate midwestern United States, is unknown. In 2022 and 2023, late-season soybean stems with R. maxima were collected from southwestern Minnesota. Third instars were retrieved and transferred to vials of sand, where they successfully burrowed and formed cocoons. Vials with cocoons were stored at 13 and 3 °C, and larval supercooling points and lower lethal temperatures (LTs) were measured after 1 and 2 months. All individuals remained larvae by the time of measurements, suggesting they were in diapause. Supercooling points and lower LTs were primarily between -20 and -25 °C. Alignment between these measurements suggests that R. maxima is freeze-intolerant. There were no consistent effects of storage time or temperature, indicating a lack of further acclimation. The temperature causing 50% mortality (LT50) was -19.8 °C in both 2022 (95% CI: -26.4 to -13.2 °C) and 2023 (95% CI: -26.6 to -13.0 °C). Historical soil temperature data reveal the coldest temperature recorded from 2015 to 2024 near the northern portion of R. maxima's known range (-17.7 °C) would cause <50% mortality to R. maxima populations, while average coldest temperatures were substantially warmer (-3.1 to -8.5 °C). Short-term exposures to winter soil temperatures may not cause significant mortality to overwintering R. maxima in the midwestern United States.

  PublisherDOI

• The perils of naïve use of open-source data: A comment on “Spatiotemporal distribution of sudden oak death in the US and Europe”

  Agricultural and Forest Meteorology · 2025-04-14 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• The Pine Pandemic Preparedness Plan for the Southern United States

  2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  reportSenior author

  DOWNLOAD PLAN Authors Gandhi, K.J.K., K.D. Klepzig, J.D. Dean, E. Hunter, A.M. Liebhold, W. Owen, T.N. Trembath, D.C. Adams, C. Asaro, C.S. Barton, R.L. Cook, D.R. Coyle, J.M. Eickwort, S. Harrington, F.H. Koch, H.L. Munro, C. Nelson, R.O. Olatinwo, J. Pait, S.E. Pfister, J. Rakestraw, E.B. Schilling, R.A. Sniezko, and R.C. Venette DOI doi.org/10.58497/98549 How […]

  PublisherDOI

• Survival of elongate hemlock scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) with prolonged cold exposure: overwintering mortality risk across North America

  Environmental Entomology · 2025-08-26 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  Elongate hemlock scale, Fiorinia externa Ferris (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), is an invasive pest of eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis, and other Pinaceae such as Fraser fir, Abies fraseri. Cut Fraser firs (ie for Christmas trees and other holiday greenery) with F. externa have been intercepted in US states beyond where the insect is known to be established and, in some cases, where exposure to freezing temperatures might be prolonged. This study measures the effect of constant low temperatures (3, -10, or -20 °C) on survival of overwintering F. externa females from eastern hemlock in Michigan and from eastern hemlock and Fraser fir in North Carolina. Survival was determined with biochemical viability testing, which assesses the presence of metabolically active cells, and changes in survivorship through time were quantified with Kaplan-Meier methods and beta regression. Collection date and host occasionally affected survival rate but not in a consistent pattern. Survival rates generally decreased as temperature decreased. At 3 °C, F. externa maintained high survival (>75%). At -10 °C, survival was projected to fall to 50% within 22 to 92 d and 10% by 45 to 195 d. At -20 °C, survival typically declined to 50% by 1 to 27 d and 10% by 6 to 52 d. We used survival durations at -20 °C to map how often F. externa might experience 50 or 90% mortality from prolonged cold exposure. Temperatures in recent winters have not been below -20 °C for long enough to stop F. externa from spreading throughout the ranges of eastern hemlock or other hosts in Canada and the continental United States.

  PublisherDOI

• Dynamic timelines required for development of new insect genetic pest control technologies

  Entomologia Generalis · 2025-11-04

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• The Perils of Naïve Use of Open-Source Data: A Comment on “Spatiotemporal Distribution of Sudden Oak Death in the Us and Europe”

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2024-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Invasive Species Common Names: Working Towards More Inclusive Invasive Species Education and Outreach

  Journal of Extension · 2024-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Invasive species harm natural and managed ecosystems. Awareness and management of these species depends on effective education and outreach. Traditional common names, including those with geographic references, for many invasive pests may perpetuate slanderous terms or stigmatize people from that place. To create more inclusive invasive species educational materials, the University of Minnesota Extension’s Invasive Species Community of Practice developed guidelines for selection of common names. Suggested names were shared with others involved in invasive species communications, leading to broader adoption. These guidelines may be useful to others who struggle to find descriptive, non-alienating common names for invasive species.

  PublisherDOI

• Hosts and impacts of elongate hemlock scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae): A critical review

  Frontiers in Insect Science · 2024-02-12 · 8 citations

  reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Fiorinia externa Ferris, elongate hemlock scale, was inadvertently introduced to North America from Japan. This insect is particularly problematic on hemlock, Tsuga spp., though it has been reported in association with several other conifers. The evidence that other conifers might be hosts, capable of supporting growing populations of the insect, has not been previously reviewed. Our review confirms that F. externa is an oligophagous pest of members of Pinaceae. Although species of Cupressaceae and Taxaceae have been reported as hosts of F. externa , they seem unable to support population growth of this pest. Evidence of the tree-killing potential of the insect, even on suitable hosts, is remarkably scant. The degree of pest risk posed by F. externa with respect to tree mortality in areas beyond the geographic range of hemlock seems modest, but uncertain.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Mitigating invasive insect species: eradication, long-term management, and the importance of sampling and monitoring

  Burleigh Dodds series in agricultural science · 2023-04-25 · 1 citations

  book-chapter

  In this chapter, we introduce major concepts associated with the management of invasive insects. We then focus more deeply on eradication and long-term management, especially integrated pest management, describing common factors associated with successful programs and potential challenges of each strategy. Brief case studies are provided to illustrate applications of eradication and IPM to various invasive insects in different regions. Lastly, we summarize recent research and technology that have progressed effective management of invasive insects and highlight areas where further research is needed.

  PublisherDOI

• Approaches to Forecasting Damage by Invasive Forest Insects and Pathogens: A Cross-Assessment

  BioScience · 2023-02-01 · 31 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Nonnative insects and pathogens pose major threats to forest ecosystems worldwide, greatly diminishing the ecosystem services trees provide. Given the high global diversity of arthropod and microbial species, their often unknown biological features or even identities, and their ease of accidental transport, there is an urgent need to better forecast the most likely species to cause damage. Several risk assessment approaches have been proposed or implemented to guide preventative measures. However, the underlying assumptions of each approach have rarely been explicitly identified or critically evaluated. We propose that evaluating the implicit assumptions, optimal usages, and advantages and limitations of each approach could help improve their combined utility. We consider four general categories: using prior pest status in native and previously invaded regions; evaluating statistical patterns of traits and gene sequences associated with a high impact; sentinel and other plantings to expose trees to insects and pathogens in native, nonnative, or experimental settings; and laboratory assays using detached plant parts or seedlings under controlled conditions. We evaluate how and under what conditions the assumptions of each approach are best met and propose methods for integrating multiple approaches to improve our forecasting ability and prevent losses from invasive pests.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• W. D. Hutchison

  37 shared

• Denys Yemshanov

  23 shared

• Brian H. Aukema

  22 shared

• Robert G. Haight

  Northern Research Station

  20 shared

• Derek W. Rosenberger

  19 shared

• Steven J. Seybold

  17 shared

• Frank Koch

  17 shared

• Robert L. Koch

  University of Minnesota

  13 shared