Neoh Lab
Laboratory of Insect Ecology and Pest Management
Research Interests
Insect Pest Management: Insecticide efficacy testing, insecticide resistance, behavioral resistance, integrated pest management on vector-borne disease (public engagement, sterile insect technique), insecticide-induced fitness cost and hormetic effect
Insect ecophysiology: water relations, desiccation tolerance, relative role of latitudinal gradient and insecticide-induced fitness cost on life history traits.
Biodiversity and conservation: urbanization and landscape disturbance effects on ant and termite community structure, arthropod spillover effect, genetic variation of invasive big-headed ant in Taiwan
Behavioral Ecology: Feeding ecology using stable isotope analysis, cannibalism, colony foundation and hygienic behavior of social insect
The Laboratory of Insect Ecology and Pest Management focuses on pest management issues in urban areas. We look at pest management issues in a wider context that includes understanding of the biology, behavior and ecology of an insect pest – following the notion that ‘by knowing your “enemy” the prospects for successful management will be greatly enhanced’. In addition, we do not lose sight on topics in ecological-scale such as species diversity, community stability under the effect of landscape modification, socioeconomic needs as well as global climate change as we hold with the idea that pest emergence and species invasion arise if diversity-stability theory is breached. We include a wide range of potentially pest insects, notably mosquitos, cockroaches, ants and rove beetles as our main subject of study.
