Chemical Aggressive Mimicry in Solitary Bee Nest Parasites: Host Range in the Southwestern US

Leslie Saul-Gershenz 
PhD Candidate, 
Department of Entomology, UC, Davis 

Ms. Saul-Gershenz opens her talk with the assertion that scientists should use less jargon and make their work more presentable by “spicing it up a little.”  In this spirit, she has given her presentation an alternate title: “Fatal Attraction: Cross-dressing hitchhiker gang trick lover, rob single mom’s home, steal baby’s food.”  She focuses her research on the parasite-host relationship between ceptoparasites and bees, which turns out to be very much like her humorous title. This research is especially relevant to recent concerns, especially in the agricultural and horticultural communities, about the sharp decline of bee populations in some areas. 

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Recorded: September 19, 2012