Current Projects

My project looks for the presence of parasitoid wasp DNA in caterpillar abdomens. Many species of parasitoid wasps have been introduced to Hawaii and the wasps focused on in this project lay their eggs in caterpillars, which kills the host caterpillar and prevents it from pollinating crops and native forest plants. Along with detecting the presence of parasitoid wasp larva, I am also looking for the proportion of native and non-native parasitoid wasps.