Matt Frye, PhD, Neighbor

When I was a child growing up in the hamlet of Montrose, I discovered a fascinating world of critters all around me. Ants, beetles, fireflies and bees were abundant for my capture and study. Although dinosaurs and action figures occupied some of my attention, even then I was a bug kid.

A few years down the road I enrolled at Muhlenberg College, with inspiration from a high school teacher to pursue a degree in biology. In the summer of my sophomore year I went to Costa Rica on a school trip; an adventure that would influence the next 8 years of my life. In dense jungles rich with vegetation, birds and critters of all shapes and sizes I rediscovered my fascination with insects and started down a path to study plant-insect interactions. Back at Muhlenberg I conducted undergraduate research and wrote a senior thesis on the interaction between spicebush, its herbivores, and how that relationship is mediated by black walnut trees.

From Muhlenberg I went directly to the University of Delaware, where both my Master's and PhD research focused on the invasive vine kudzu. In a USDA quarantine facility I studied the biology and life history of a potential biological control agent from China, and conducted field experiments to determine the type and amount of damage necessary to slow reproduction and growth of this weed.

I graduated from the University of Delaware in August of 2010, returned to Costa Rica for a three month journey, and landed back in my home town of Montrose. I am thrilled to work at JP McHale Pest Management, a family owned company where my dad worked part-time during my development as a bug kid. I am the Urban Entomologist and Technical Trainer Advisor, and every day is a new adventure!