I am currently a PhD student in Entomology at Stellenbosch University working with Dr. Pia Addison and Prof. John Terblanche (Applied Physiology Ecology lab). My project basically includes fruit fly genetics and biodiversity to gain information that will feed into an area-wide integrated pest management strategy.
Fruit flies in South Africa have a huge economic effect on agriculture. Currently, an area-wide pest management strategy is being implemented, which depends on species’ dispersal patterns and can be compromised by mobile species and species misidentification. This project aims to survey fruit fly diversity in the Western Cape, investigate techniques for rapid identification, assisting in detection; and to estimate population genetic structure in a Ceratitis species in South Africa.
