Current Insects	Insect Genetics and Biochemistry Research Unit	Phone:
Colorado potato beetle Corn rootworm Fruit Flies –    Tephritids Glassy-winged sharpshooter Leaf Hopper parasitoids Pollinator bees   Whiteflies Whitefly parasitoids	Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center Biosciences Research Laboratory 1605 Albrecht Blvd. Fargo, ND  58105-5674             VISION:  Develop environmentally safe and organism specific methods of pest insect and weed control.	701-239-1271 FAX: 701-239-1348
	Frozen Fly Eggs Help Against Screwworm Dr. Roger A. Leopold Wasps Chemical Cue Dr. James S. Buckner     Extreme Survival - Insect Style! Dr. George D. Yocum
Areas of Research: Artificial diet effect  on reproduction Diapause – Cold storage DNA markers Feeding mechanisms Germplasm cryopreservation Role of leaf morphology in feeding / oviposition	MISSION STATEMENT:  The mission of the Insect Genetics and Biochemistry Research Unit is to investigate fundamental problems related to crop protection and production, and to improve the effectiveness of insects used in Integrated Pest Management Programs for control of pest insects and weeds.  Primary research projects include: 1) develop cold storage methods for beneficial insects and insects used in sterile release programs and cryopreservation methods for preservation of germplasm; 2) develop markers to measure the effects of photoperiods, temperature, and host quality on reproduction and diapause; 3) identifying molecular markers useful for distinguishing closely related species and populations of pest and beneficial insects; 4) examine role of Wolbachia bacteria in creating genetically-distinct insect populations; 5) characterizing surface and internal lipids and their function for pest and beneficial insects, and the effect of lipids on interactions of natural enemies with their hosts; 6) characterizing feeding mechanisms and interactions with host plants for homopteran pest insects to determine resistant characteristics in plants.