The insect world is full of unusual and complex behaviors. We focus mainly on the natural history of insect parasitoids like rhopalosomatid wasps who attack crickets and the tachinid flies who parasitize stink bugs. We investigate how they find hosts, lay eggs, and develop within their host. I'm also interested in how insects are able to rapidly learn and adapt new behaviors throughout their rather short lives to solve problems like finding a new source of food or avoiding a particular predator species.
A rare ectoparasitoid wasp of the family Rhopalosomatidae attached to its cricket host.
Student researchers
2022
Preston Buck - Using Moericke Pan Traps to Sample the Biodiversity of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera).
Hannah Juliussen - Diversity and Seasonal Abundance of Ichneumonid Parasitoids at Cypress Grove Nature Park.
2021
2020
2019
2018
Madeline Smith - Antibacterial Effects of Assassin Bug Venom on Escherichia coli