Dini M. Miller   Assistant Professor Department of Entomology 320 Price Hall Phone: (540) 231-4918 FAX: (540) 231-9131 E-mail: dinim@vt.edu

Education:

B.A. - University of CA at Los Angeles, Geography/Ecosystems, 1991
M.S. - University of Florida, Urban Entomology, 1994
Ph. D. -University of Florida, Urban Entomology, 1998

Dini Miller joined the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech in April of 1999. Dr. Miller is involved in all three missions of the land grant university system: cooperative extension, teaching and research.

Extension:

The primary aim of the urban extension program is to establish Virginia Tech as the state center for urban pest management instruction. Extension agent and pest control operator instruction will focus on the biology and control of structural urban pests such as termites, cockroaches and ants and occasional invaders (i.e.: paper wasps, earwigs and stored products pests). Using on-line distance education combined with hands-on training at the Urban Pest Control Laboratory (UPCRL), we hope to increase pest control efficiency and reduce the amount of insecticide needed to control household pests.

The 4-H component of the urban extension mission focuses on the development of entomological projects where elementary and secondary school students use live insects to learn biological concepts.

 On-line information:

Subterranean Termite Biology and Control Methods

Teaching:

As part of the Agricultural Technology program, the Urban Entomology course is intended to expose students to the concepts of Integrated Pest Management in the urban environment and prepare them for the many employment opportunities in the pest management industry.

Research:

The UPCRL is used to conduct structural pest research and develop innovative management techniques that reduce the need for pesticide applications in the urban environment. Current research projects focus on the use of baiting techniques for the control of subterranean termites and cost/benefit analysis of IPM techniques for control of German cockroaches.