Dylan Grubb

Student

Dylan Grubb

Author

Dylan Grubb

Files

Cohort

2017-2018

Biography

Dylan Grubb was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida. He is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology. His passion for spreading education about the resourcefulness and wonders of insects has led him to study and expand outreach in entomology. Dylan has previously researched the potential to use termites as a source of poultry feed and is currently researching the partitioning behavior of Sceliphron caementarium under the guidance of Dr. Barbara Sharanowski. He plans to obtain his M.S. in Entomology and become an insect museum curator.

Faculty Mentor

Barbara Sharanowski Ph.D.

Undergraduate Major

Biology

Future Plans

M.S. in Entomology

Research

Title: Utilizing Native Termites to Process Dirty Poultry Litter

PI: Dr. Barbara Sharanowski

Institution: University of Central Florida

Abstract: Poultry farming produces significant amounts of waste by-products, particularly poultry litter, which is wood shavings or flakes (also known as bedding) containing excrement and other accumulated waste. This litter must be removed from the coops and disposed of. Although poultry litter has been used as a crop fertilizer, its use has been restricted in recent years due to run-off from farmland leading to the contamination and eutrophication of local water sources. Therefore, novel uses, or recycling of poultry litter, would economically benefit farmers, particularly small poultry operations. Here we examine the utility of the Eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes) as a potential inexpensive and renewable recycler of the wood chips in dirty chicken litter. We collected thousands of termites from the wild, around the University of Central Florida, using cardboard as bait. We housed these termites within a variable temperature room until we were prepared to run tests on these termites. Specifically, we test both the survivorship of termites on the litter and quantify the amount of litter processed by termites over time.


Current research: Testing the cognition and partitioning behavior of Sceliphron caementarium in a laboratory setting.

PI: Dr. Barbara Sharanowski

Title and Abstract: To be made in the future once experiments are underway.

Keywords

Entomology, Taxonomy, Agriculture

Disciplines

Entomology

Dylan Grubb


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