I am responsible for applied and basic research on the biology and management of arthropod pests of tobacco and other crops. My program has two primary foci: 1. The biology and management of arthropod pests and beneficials in tobacco; and 2. The interactions between soil, water, and wildlife conservation practices and pest management in row crop agriculture. Current and recent projects include investigations into the interactions between tobacco budworm resistant tobacco varieties and a parasitoid of the tobacco budworm; studies of the economics and efficacy of new, safer insecticides in tobacco culture; an evaluation of the response of populations of the tobacco budworm from across the South to insecticides; several studies into the biology and management of the Myzus aphids attacking tobacco; an evaluation of the impact of no-till culture on tobacco pest management; investigations into the biology and management of the tobacco splitworm; assessments of the pest management practices for burley tobacco grown in non-traditional area; investigations of the interactions between neonicotinoid insecticides and the parasitoids attacking the  tobacco hornworm complex; and an assessment of the influence of feral vegetation field borders on pest management in cotton and soybean fields in the Neuse River basin. I am a member of the Fisheries and Wildlife Program faculty.