Hayslip Biological Control Research and Containment Laboratory

3-photo collage of a person tending to plants on a field, Trichilogaster gall, and lilioceris

About Us

Mission Statement

The invasion into Florida by non-native organisms has reached unprecedented levels. Non-native plants and insects pose a threat not only to agriculture, but also to the preservation of Florida’s unique natural ecosystems. Classical biological control is often the only economically and environmentally sustainable solution to manage invasive pests once they have become firmly established. Quarantine is an important step in a classical biological control program, as the studies conducted within it ensure that exotic natural enemies brought into the state are safe to release. The University of Florida’s Hayslip Biological Control Research and Containment Laboratory at the Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce introduces and evaluates natural enemies of invasive insects and plants under highly secure containment laboratory conditions to obtain information required to make informed decisions regarding their release into Florida’s environments.

History

Original Faculty

Ronald D. Cave is Professor of Entomology and Center Director of the Indian River Research and Education Center in Ft. Pierce, FL. He received his PhD from Auburn University in 1987, MSc from the University of California-Berkeley in 1977, and BSc from the University of California-Davis in 1975. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador and Paraguay for 2.5 years. For 15 years, he was a professor at the Panamerican School of Agriculture (Zamorano) in Honduras, where he taught courses, conducted research on biological control, pest management, and biodiversity, and directed the Center for Biological Control in Central America. His research in the UF Hayslip Biological Control Research and Containment Laboratory investigated the biological control of invasive arthropods, particularly the importation of exotic insects as candidate biological control agents, assessment of commercial natural enemies, and study of the biology of parasitoids and predators. His current research now focuses on the biodiversity and taxonomy of dynastine scarab beetles in South America. In 2020, he was a recipient of the J. O. Westwood Award for excellence in insect taxonomy from the Royal Entomological Society. He is author or co-author of more than 140 peer-reviewed papers, 20 non-refereed publications, and 20 books or book chapters. He is a member of The Coleopterists Society (Honorary Member since 2023), and the agricultural honor society Gamma Sigma Delta.

Dr. Cave became the Indian River Research and Education Center Director in 2017. His duties are to provide leadership and facilitation in the planning, development, and implementation of research, teaching, and extension programs; recruit new faculty; promote academic success; advance professional development and recognition of faculty, staff, and students; and efficiently administer the Center’s human, financial, and infrastructural resources; and obtain external funding.

Bill Overholt is a Professor Emeritus of Entomology and Nematology. Dr. Overholt joined the faculty at the Indian River Research and Education Center in 2002. He has extensive international experience including 2 years in Peace Corps working with the Senegalese Plant Protection Service, 4 years in Mauritania with USAID, and 12 years at the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi, Kenya. The focus of Bill’s research program was biological control of invasive plants. His work focused on Brazilian peppertree, Hydrilla, tropical soda apple, and Phragmites, and involved foreign exploration, host range studies, and field release and evaluation of biological control agents. Bill also conducted extension activities aimed at increasing public awareness of the problems associated with invasive plants, and the application of biological control as a tool for their management. Dr. Overholt retired in 2016.