I am a Masters' student in the Department of Entomology, advised by Dan Papaj and Steve Buchmann. I am interested in the behavior and population biology of native bees as it relates to bee conservation. I am currently studying how urban fragmentation of desert habitat impacts the foraging behavior and reproductive success of native Creosote bees. An ongoing study seeks to determine if bees that inhabit small desert fragments have lower reproductive success than bees in large fragments. I am also interested in how olfactory cues mediate a bee’s ability to locate suitable nesting sites and how such cues may be exploited by nest parasites. I am currently collaborating with Jordanna Sprayberry (PERT Postdoctoral Fellow), Ruben Alarcón and Dan Papaj, studying whether bumblebees can correctly choose rewarding flowers of a specific color in the context of a particular odor.

Howell, A. D. and R. Alarcón. 2007. Osmia bees (Hymenoptera; Megachilidae) can detect nectar rewarding flowers using olfactory cues. Animal Behaviour 74:199-205.