Ladybirds: Detecting Defensive Chemicals

For the December meeting of Chatt About Science UTC chemistry professor Dr. Manuel Santiago will join us for a presentation and discussion about ladybird beetles.

Some predatory ladybird beetles have become a nuisance to agricultural and residential areas across the United States in the last several years. Many of the invasive species were originally brought to the United States to help control the populations of aphids. It is now necessary to provide an understanding the defensive chemical profiles and the dynamics of the chemical production throughout the life stage in predatory ladybird beetles