Alexander Butcher - Grads Out There

Alexander Butcher photo

This week’s “Grads Out There” spotlight takes us to wine vineyards across Oregon. Alexander Butcher (he/him) is a Ph.D. student studying horticulture and supply chain logistics with an entomology option at Oregon State University. Alexander is the current president of Bug Club at OSU. Named club of the year in 2023, Bug Club aims to foster student research and interest in insects. One of his upcoming club projects will involve insect collections in the Alvord Desert.

Alexander’s field research is looking at the grape mealybug. These mealybugs are found in wine regions across the state, which has brought Alexander to sites in Medford, Roseburg, the Dalles and Milton-Freewater. Using state-of-the-art septa lures, he can track the phloem-feeding insects and use this data to curb the effects that these insects have on their environments.

One such method currently being tested in the lab is looking at the development of life tables for entomopathogenic nematodes. “These life tables will be used in the development of a product that will hopefully allow these entomopathogenic nematodes to develop outside of a host, greatly improving their applicability in [Integrated Pest Management] programs.”

Although he keeps busy, Alexander remains passionate and excited about his current research projects. “Every bit of [the research] excited me. I genuinely love what I do.”