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Elizabeth E. Graham
Department of Entomology University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign 320 Morrill Hall 505 S. Goodwin Urbana, IL 61801 Phone: 217-333-7783 Fax: 217-244-3499 E-mail: eegraham(at)life.illinois.edu |
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RESEARCH: I have conducted a number of experiments to test the effects of Fluon ® PTFE as a treatment for black panel traps to increase catches of cerambycid beetles. Traditionally Fluon has been used in insectaries and behavioral studies because it leaves a slippery surface, rendering it difficult for insects to manuever, however there is little research using it in the field. Our Fluon treated traps captured 14 times the number of cerambycid beetles compared to the untreated traps. I am currently studying cross-attraction among cerambycid beetles. (R*)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one, is an important component, or the sole component, of aggregation pheromones for many species in the subfamily Cerambycinae. We often get a variety of species to our pheromone traps, which made us wonder if this is a product of the synthetic pheromone blend. I conducted a study to compare trap catches of cerambycids to natural pheromone (i.e. from live beetles) versus synthetic pheromone blend. We confirmed cross-attraction amgonst two species in the tribe Clytini , Neoclytus m. mucronatus and Xylotrechus colonus. I also studied the relationship between tree stress and attack by wood-boring beetles in the family Cerambycidae. There is a bit of a “chicken and the egg” issue with this relationship. Which came first, the stress or the beetles? Did the stressed tree attract the beetles or did beetles cause the tree to be stressed? I started a project using dendrochronology to catalog the history of beetle attacks in individual trees. Long horned beetles exit the tree through a hole they chew through the bark. The following year the tree will grow over this hole, leaving a distinct change in the growth rings. I am working with the black locust borer, Megacyllene robiniae, which is the only wood borer to attack living black locust trees in this area, making it an ideal candidate for this study. I could not find a relationship between the number of beetle attacks and the growth rate of the tree, however I did find the number of beetle attacks has been steadily rising over the past 5 years. I have served as the Outreach Coordinator for the EGSA, which took me to area schools and events to educate and fascinate elementary students with live insects and our “wow” collections. The insects sell themselves, but I've also been working on developing insect lessons that teachers can incorporate into their curriculum. ABOUT ME: I received my M.S. in Forest Ecology and Management from Michigan Technological University in 2005, working with Dr. Andrew Storer. My research focused on chemical communication amongst two different species of bark beetles, Dendroctonus simplex and Ips pini. I established an emerald ash borer detection survey for the state of Michigan. Prior to that I worked in the education department of the Field Museum and volunteered in Bulgaria with the Peace Corps. |
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