Education:

• 1984 Ph.D. Lincoln College, University of Canterbury
• 1981 Dip Biotech (Dist.) Massey University
• 1978 BSc (Hons.) 1 st Class in Zoology Massey University 1978

Professional Experience:

• 1983- until now - Research Scientist and Programme Leader, HortResearch, Lincoln, New Zealand.

Honours/distinctions:

• 2003 Fellow of the Royal Society of NZ
• 2003 HortResearch Chairman’s Award for Excellence
• 2003 OECD Fellowship (with Kye Chung Park, Penn. State Univ.)
• 2003 Ernst & Young Executive Course
• 2002 ISAT Award
• 2000 MORST Institute of Directors Award
• 1999 Trimble Award
• 1999 Int. Plant Protection Congress Award
• 1998 British Crop Protection Council Senior Travel Bursary
• 1996 C. Alma Baker Fellowship; Lincoln University Foundation Award
• 1995 Italian Fruitgrowers Award
• 1994 Swedish Travel Award
• 1990 C. Alma Baker Trust Award
• 1990 NZ Commemorative Medal

Research Interest:

• Host plant recognition and female moth attractants for leafrollers, codling moth and other species, in the context of insecticide risk reduction.
• Pheromones and other semiochemicals for monitoring biocontrol agents for weeds and insects, and pest or invasive insects.
• Insects as vectors of myco-herbicides (National Centre of Research Excellence in Bioprotection, Lincoln University (with Post Doc Dr Alvin Hee et al.)
• Burnt pine longhorn behaviour and electrophysiology, understanding host recognition to fire-related cues, development of a repellent, contact sex pheromone.
• Signaling of herbivore attack by apple trees to parasitoids following leafroller attack.
• Sterile Insect Technique for eradication of painted apple moth and wider use.
• Geographical Information Systems for insect dispersal and invasive species incursion responses.

Expert Panels:

• 2003 - Environmental Risk Management Authority of NZ, Board Member
• 2003 -Technical Users Group, Pesticide Risk Reduction Programme
• 1997- White Spotted Tussock Moth Eradication Panel
• 2000 - Painted Apple Moth Eradication Technical Advisory Group
• 2001 - MAF Forestry Biosecurity Consultative Committee
• 2003 - Gum Leaf Skeletoniser Technical Advisory Group

Scientific Societies:

• International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences (Governing Board, 2004-)
• Scientific Programme Committee, Int. Cong. Entomology ( Brisbane, 2004)
• Convenor, Chemical and Physiological Ecology and Behaviour, Int. Cong. Entomology ( Brisbane, 2004)
• Councillor, Asia Pacific Association of Chemical Ecologists (2001-)
• President, New Zealand Plant Protection Society (1999-2001)
• Entomological Society of America
• Entomological Society of New Zealand
• NZ Institute Agricultural Science
• NZ Institute Horticultural Science

Recent Publications:

• Suckling , D.M., S.R. Green, A. R. Gibb, and Karg, G. 1999. Predicting atmospheric concentration of pheromone in treated apple orchards. J. Chem. Ecol. 25: 117-139.
• Suckling , D.M. , R. Hill, H. Gourlay, and P. Witzgall. 1999. Sex attractant-based monitoring of a biological control agent of gorse. Biocont. Sci. Tech. 9: 99-104.
• Suckling , D.M. and E.G. Brockerhoff. 1999. Control of lightbrown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) using an attracticide. J. Econ. Entomol. 92: 367-372.
• Suckling , D.M., S.R. Green, A. R. Gibb, and G. Karg. 1999. Atmospheric pheromone concentrations affect the behaviour of lightbrown apple moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in the orchard J. Chem. Ecol. 25: 2011-2025.
• Suckling , D.M., Karg, G. 2000. Pheromones and semiochemicals. Pp 63-99 In: Biological and Biotechnical Control of Insect Pests. J. Rechcigl and N. Rechcigl (eds), CRC Press.
• Suckling , D.M., J. Charles and P. Stevens. 2002. Possibility of control of painted apple moth moth (Teia anartoides) using single component mating disruption. New Zealand Plant Protection 55: 1-6.
• Suckling , D.M., A.R. Gibb, G.M. Burnip, and N.C. Delury. 2002. Can parasitoid sex pheromones help in insect biocontrol? A case study of codling moth and its’ parasitoid. Environ. Entomol. 31: 947-952.
• Suckling , D.M. and A.R. Gibb. 2003. Use of pheromones and other attractants to combat insect incursions, In Goldson, S.L. and Suckling, D.M. (eds), Defending a Green Oasis: The Role of Science in Biosecurity. NZ Plant Protection Society, Christchurch.
• Suckling , D.M., McKenna, C. and Walker, J.T.S. 2003. IPM in NZ Horticulture. Pp385-396 In Maredia, K.M. D. Dakouo and D. Mota-Sanchez. Global Perspectives in Integrated Pest Management. CABI Publishing.
• Wee, S.L., Suckling, D.M., G.M. Burnip, J. Hackett, and A.M. Barrington and R. Pedley. 2005. Effects of sub-sterilizing gamma radiation doses on longevity and inherited sterility of painted apple moth Teia anartoides (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae). J. Econ. Entomol. In press.
• Suckling, D.M., Gibb, A.R., Dentener, P.R., Seldon, D.S., Clare, G.K., Jamieson, L., Baird, D., Kriticos, D.J. and El-Sayed, A.M. 2005. Gum Leaf Skeletoniser (Lepidoptera: Nolidae) in New Zealand: Pheromone Trapping for Delimitation and Phenology. Journal of Economic Entomology. In Press.
• El-Sayed, A.M., Gibb, A.R., Suckling, D.M., Bunn, B., Fielder, S., Comesky, D., Manning, L.A., Foster, S.P., Morris, B.D., Ando, T., Mori, K. 2005. Identification of sex pheromone components of the painted apple moth: A tussock moth with a thermally labile pheromone component . Journal of Chemical Ecology, 31: 633-657.
• Suckling, D. M., Gibb, A. R., Burnip, G. M., Snelling, C., De Ruiter, J., Langford, G., El-Sayed, A. M. 2005. Optimization of pheromone lure and trap characteristics for currant clearwing, Synanthedon tipuliformis. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 31: 393-406.