Most of my career has focused on the integrated pest management and biology/ecology of pest insects. Agricultural pests caught my interest at first, but it was during my master’s degree that I noted the importance of urban pests and that students majoring in urban entomology were receiving job offers before they graduated. During my undergraduate career at Rutgers University, I was involved with biological control and feeding rates of Colorado potato beetle and during my master’s at Virginia Tech, I determined the seasonal presence of broccoli pests and their impact on yield. After my master’s, I joined the USDA-ARS as a technician in the Imported Fire Ant and Household Insects Unit in Gainesville, Florida and completed a PhD from the University of Florida. My work here revolved around the management of imported fire ants and the biology, behavior, spatial distribution and management of Pharaoh ants.

In 1996, I started as an assistant professor and Extension urban entomology specialist in the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s Entomology and Plant Pathology Department. My programs at UT have focused on fire ant biology, biological control and other control methods; urban ant identification, distribution and management; bed bug management with an emphasis on early detection techniques; termite baiting and liquid applications; and integrated pest management in schools. Students in my lab are trained in research of urban pests, and have the opportunity to observe or experience the responsibilities of an Extension specialist including walk-in specimen identification, delivery of research-based information, and interactions with scientists, housing managers, school personnel, government agency personnel, pest management service providers, manufacturing industry leaders, and other stakeholders.