Kathryn Grebner, a senior natural resources management major from McEwen, tends to a cross vane panel trap that’s used to monitor for ambrosia beetles during an outing in July near the UT Martin campus. Grebner and her professor, Dr. Jack Grubaugh, worked together on a research project funded by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to monitor for invasive pest species that haven’t been found but could be found in West Tennessee. Grebner and Grubaugh monitored 14 locations, most of which were in areas that have one or more industries that import materials from other countries on a biweekly basis throughout West Tennessee. After the samples were collected, Grebner shipped them overnight to Mississippi State University where they were examined by some of the world’s leading experts in invasive species. If any pests out of the ordinary were to be identified, USDA-Aphis would be contacted to determine what action needs to be taken.
