Management & Biological Control Research Unit

My areas of expertise include insect behavior, ecology and physiology.  My research focuses on the mechanisms regulating development, dispersal and reproduction in a variety of insects.  I examine the behavioral, hormonal and physiological changes in insects as they mature, and the endogenous and exogenous stimuli that regulate this transformation.  I am particularly interested in how interactions with conspecifics are perceived and translated into developmental responses affecting reproductive dynamics.  My principal study organism is the western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus, which is a major pest of cotton.  I am currently investigating pre- and post-mating regulation of female reproductive behavior and physiology, use of a male produced anti-aphrodisiac as potential mating disruptor, and the major endocrine changes accompanying maturation and egg production.