I have studied pollination ecology and native bee biology since 2004. I have worked in diverse study systems, from natural and logged forestland to Great Basin shrublands to an array of agricultural settings. I am deeply curious about the bee communities around us, whether they are in a natural meadow, a crop field, or an urban park.
Bees
My work in wild (mostly native) bees has ranged from community-wide sampling to species-specific rearing and pollination observations. I have conducted net, pan trap, vane trap and trap nest sampling of bee communities, as well as extensive on-flower observations of pollinating behavior.
My research in wild lands has focused on pollinator community differences across land treatments, or in identifying the primary pollinators of a particular native plant. In agriculture I have worked in a variety of specialty crop systems, ranging from alfalfa in Washington State to apples, blueberries and pumpkins in Pennsylvania. I have also developed pollinator survey protocols in flowering cover crops in Pennsylvania and Florida.
Species-level Identification
Through an extensive undergraduate research project at Humboldt State University and later attending the American Museum of Natural History's Bee Course I have gained extensive bee identification experience. I have since provided species-level identification services for projects in Pennsylvania and Florida, as well as my own research in the Great Basin.
Plants
The lives of bees are intimately tied to the plants around them. As a pollination biologist I must focus on both the bees and the plants to understand the dynamics and needs of each group. Much of my work has required species-level plant identification for floral association data. As such I have a strong plant identification knowledge base from research in northern California, the Great Basin (UT, NV, OR, ID), and Pennsylvania.
I have conducted hand-pollination studies to determine the reproductive biology of native and crop plants, and spent extensive periods conducting floral observations of pollinator effectiveness and pollen deposition.
My recent work has involved development of a two-fold seasonally-based cover cropping system to supplement floral resources available to target pollinators in large-scale pumpkin fields. We have developed seed mixes and are assessing bee visitation rates, floral phenology, and plant establishment in research plots across two counties.
Other Entomology Work
I have worked with other entomological systems and organisms in crops, rangelands, and aquatic settings including:
Bees
My work in wild (mostly native) bees has ranged from community-wide sampling to species-specific rearing and pollination observations. I have conducted net, pan trap, vane trap and trap nest sampling of bee communities, as well as extensive on-flower observations of pollinating behavior.
My research in wild lands has focused on pollinator community differences across land treatments, or in identifying the primary pollinators of a particular native plant. In agriculture I have worked in a variety of specialty crop systems, ranging from alfalfa in Washington State to apples, blueberries and pumpkins in Pennsylvania. I have also developed pollinator survey protocols in flowering cover crops in Pennsylvania and Florida.
Species-level Identification
Through an extensive undergraduate research project at Humboldt State University and later attending the American Museum of Natural History's Bee Course I have gained extensive bee identification experience. I have since provided species-level identification services for projects in Pennsylvania and Florida, as well as my own research in the Great Basin.
Plants
The lives of bees are intimately tied to the plants around them. As a pollination biologist I must focus on both the bees and the plants to understand the dynamics and needs of each group. Much of my work has required species-level plant identification for floral association data. As such I have a strong plant identification knowledge base from research in northern California, the Great Basin (UT, NV, OR, ID), and Pennsylvania.
I have conducted hand-pollination studies to determine the reproductive biology of native and crop plants, and spent extensive periods conducting floral observations of pollinator effectiveness and pollen deposition.
My recent work has involved development of a two-fold seasonally-based cover cropping system to supplement floral resources available to target pollinators in large-scale pumpkin fields. We have developed seed mixes and are assessing bee visitation rates, floral phenology, and plant establishment in research plots across two counties.
Other Entomology Work
I have worked with other entomological systems and organisms in crops, rangelands, and aquatic settings including:
- Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) in processing tomato in PA.
- Sweet corn pest moths (fall armyworm, corn earworm, European corn borer) in PA.
- Grasshopper surveys and community sampling in rangelands of MT & ND.
- Freshwater aquatic invertebrate sampling and identification in IL.