Bug on ice no big deal
Q
What jobs did you do before entomology?
I worked in a bakery and then at a broom factory. As an undergraduate, I worked in a primate research laboratory and as a receptionist at an undergraduate course advising office. Between my master’s degree and PhD, I taught reading and science at a primary school.
Q
Why did you choose entomology?
I knew I wanted to work with animals . . . So basically, I found an animal whose behaviour I could watch in the field — bees. Then, as I kept watching, I would notice all of the other insects going about their day as if I wasn’t there. Suddenly, the world became a bigger place and my opportunities to study animal behaviour grew exponentially.
Q
How did you get into entomology, and when?
My dad has maintained his own insect collection for almost 50 years. He mostly collects beetles and moths.
Growing up, we always had huge beetles or moths in our freezer, waiting to be pinned . . . And it was weird — was it ice cream in that container, or a great big moth? Open it and find out! But it was normal for us.
About 20 years ago, I travelled to Costa Rica, where I was trying to do a field project on birds — but when I looked down, there were the bees. The bees let me get right up close to them — I could see every move they made with a flower. When I looked up, I was in this beautiful place with amazing scenery, and bees. That was the moment when insects stopped being weird and started to be fascinating. Now I have insects in my freezer for research, and occasionally help my dad add to his collection.
Q
What qualifications and training did you need?
I focused my undergraduate degree on courses associated with
animal behaviour, and earned my bachelor’s degree in zoology and psychology from the University of Wisconsin Madison, in the US. When I did my master’s degree in entomology (same university), I focused my research on insect behaviour, but my course work was focused on insect taxonomy, behaviour and ecology. Those courses helped me become comfortable with insect identification and ecology on species other than the one I was studying for my degree. I still refer back to the notes and textbooks from those courses.
Q What personal skills do you need?
Patience, good eyesight (or uptodate prescription glasses), a sense of adventure, appreciation for the little things and the ability to speak in public as I present my research at international and national conferences, and to rooms full of students of all ages.
Q
Any physical requirements?
To see the best insects, I have hiked in rainforests, deserts and habitat types in between. To see exceptional insects, though, I only have to walk out to my yard.
To photograph insects, I find myself standing very still, in awkward configurations (one leg up a hill or straddling stones in a river, both hands stretched out with camera at the ready). I hold my breath, and wait until the insect comes into focus and is at the perfect pose. I might be a few centimetres from the bee in order to get the best shot, and I don’t want to disturb her or fall on her. Sometimes I do end up falling in the river or down the hill. Sometimes I miss the photo opp. But it’s worth it for the perfect macro photo.
Q
What do you do on a daily basis?
It depends on the time of year. Now that the insects I study are hibernating, I spend a lot of my time teaching, analysing data and writing manuscripts. In the summer, I spend a lot of time either outside collecting data or training students and field assistants.
Q
What is the most challenging aspect?
Finding the time to write up the results of my research.
Q
Are there any particular health and safety issues?
I get stung a lot. A lot of people develop allergies to the insects that they work with.
Q
What is the most interesting assignment you have had?
A few years ago I travelled back to Costa Rica, where I had an opportunity to study bullet ants (named because if you get stung by one, it apparently feels like you’ve been shot. I was never stung by one). I did a foraging study with them. These ants are so big, you can see the detail on their faces without a microscope. I made a video about their behaviours to accompany the paper we wrote. These ants are known primarily for their horrible sting so very few people study their basic biology. I am so fortunate to be one of those people.
Q
How has the job changed since you started?
When I started I was a master’s student, fascinated by the diversity of insects in my backyard and all over the world. I studied the foraging behaviour of the German wasp.
Today, I am a lecturer at Otago University, still fascinated by the diversity of insects in my backyard and all over the world — perhaps even more so now that I know more people and resources. I also still study the German wasp.
But I also study behaviour of a whole range of insects (primarily bees, wasps and ants), most of which are here in New Zealand. I also teach animal behaviour to undergrads, supervise postgrads and train students on insect behavioural ecology and identification.
Q
What are the highs of the job?
I get to travel to entomology conferences around the world, where I meet with colleagues, and exchange stories of our weird insect encounters.
Q
What are the lows of the job?
I study insect behaviour. To do this, it’s best if insects are active when I study them. My insects are most active in summer. That means it’s tough to make plans in the summer, especially the most brilliant, sunny, warm days.
Q
What’s the strangest thing you’ve had to do?
I don’t have to, but I like keeping wasp colonies in my yard. One year I collected a paper wasp nest from a colleague’s house, painted all the workers, and glued it to the top of my picnic table in the backyard.
But the nest grew too quickly and I didn’t have a bee suit, so I never got close enough to study it. The wasps would come and hang out on the clothes line while I was hanging out laundry though. That was sort of neat.
This year, my neighbours and I found four German wasp nests in our yards. I never imagined such good fortune would come to me — so much opportunity for research, without even having to leave home!
Q
What is the salary?
My lecturer salary is about $90,000 a year.
Q
Where will you be 10 years from now?
Hopefully, I will still be at Otago. By then, I hope to have some more formal courses in place so other young entomologists can get an opportunity to learn taxonomy and ecology as well.