“My interest in entomology started when I was a little girl, checking our prune and walnut orchards for pests with my dad,” said Wheeler-Dykes, whose office is based in Orland, Glenn County. “When I was a little bit older, I monitored pest populations for my uncle in his prune orchards during the summer.”
The former Becky Wheeler, she holds two degrees from UC Davis. She received her bachelor's degree in crop science and business management, with a minor in ag pest management, in 2010. She obtained her master's degree in entomology in 2013, studying with major professor and Extension entomologist Frank Zalom of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, now a UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus and recall professor. Extension entomologists Larry Godfrey (1956-2017) and Mary Louise Flint served on her thesis committee. Her thesis dealt with a species of mites in almond orchards: "Exploring Phoresy and Field Survival of Blattisocius keegani (Fox) (Acari: Ascidae) in Almond Orchards.”
“Taking Arthropod Pest Management with Frank Zalom and Larry Godfrey during my undergraduate studies at UC Davis was incredible; learning from two very experienced and knowledgeable researchers who had such a huge impact on agriculture was inspiring,” she said.
While at UC Davis, she served as a teaching assistant in Zalom's Arthropod Pest Management lab course in the winter of 2012, and as a staff research associate in the Andrew Walker lab, Department of Viticulture and Enology, from April 2015 to May 2018. Agricultural research positions followed.
“My career in ag research since graduate school has prepared me well,” she said. Prior to her selection as a UC Cooperative Extension advisor, she worked as an orchard researcher for Chico State Enterprises, beginning in May 2021. Her expertise also includes teaching ag ecology and soil science in the College of Agriculture, California State University, Chico. She served as a faculty mentor for Chico State STEM Connections in the 2022 Undergraduate Research Program, and as a faculty advisor for the Chico State Crops and Horticulture Club.
Wheeler-Dykes can be reached at bawheeler@ucanr.edu and (530) 884-9313.