
South Carolina residents are well aware of how annoying insects may sometimes be. This talk will address how insects may negatively affect our health—bite, sting, carry disease--and talk about some examples of the worst offenders and their life cycles. However, insects also benefit human health including serving as important research subjects, producing food, and even being food.
About the Speaker: Dr. Dwight Williams
Dr. Dwight Williams received B.S. and M.S. degrees in animal science and entomology, respectively, from the University of Arkansas and a Ph.D. in Entomology from Louisiana State University. He was director of the University of South Carolina’s International Center for Public Health Research (the Wedge) where he conducted research and training on the biology and control of mosquitoes and other medically important arthropods. He was environmental education programming and then director of Cypress Gardens, a Berkeley County, SC park. He had a native plant nursery, Bottle Tree Gardening for 9 years following retirement from Cypress Gardens. He currently studies pollinating insects and raises native plants at his greenhouse and garden in McClellanville, SC.