הצטרפ.ה ב:ינו' 5, 2022 פעילות אחרונה: אוק' 4, 2024 iNaturalist
I am an Entomologist Identifier with the USDA. I am mainly interested in coleoptera and especially buprestids and cerambycids but won't pass up most things with six legs. I also will not pass on taking photos of snakes and other herps.
In 2001, I started my career in entomology as a lab tech at the TSU Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, TN. During my time there, I worked on nursery pests such as wood boring beetles (buprestids, cerambycids and scolytines), imported fire ants including their biocontrol using phorid decapitating flies, Japanese beetle with its biocontrol's (Tiphia vernalis and Istocheta aldrichi), leps (sesiidae & tortricidae) and potato leafhopper.
In 2016, I started with the TN Dept. of Agriculture as a plant inspector. My job was to inspect nurseries and retail plant sellers for pests during the growing season by visual and trapping surveys. I also inspected plants and lumber for export and eventually industrial hemp.
In 2020, I started as an USDA APHIS PPQ officer covering all of east TN. My position was similar to that of the state but at a larger scale. I still conducted trapping and visual surveys for insect pests, inspections for plant and lumber exports, etc.
I graduated with a BS degree in Zoology from TN Tech University and a MS degree in Entomology and Plant Pathology from UT Knoxville.