M.Sc. 2016

Asha did an M.Sc. under the joint supervision of Drs. Maya Evenden and Heather Proctor. She studied the factors influencing dispersal by flight of the Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera:Curculionidae), the most destructive pest of pines in western North America.  In particular, she examined the effects of MPB physiology and other biotic and abiotic factors on beetle dispersal. Her research provided baseline data on mountain pine beetle dispersal in lodgepole pine and will help in further research on MPB dispersal in novel habitats.