Stephen Taerum, a PhD student from FABI at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, visited CERC from May 26 to December 31, 2010. During his stay, Stephen collected bark beetles and their symbiotic mites and microbes from conifers in Yunnan, Qinghai, and Guangdong provinces. In addition, Stephen conducted lab work (i.e., culturing, photography, and molecular work) at CERC using the centre's state-of-the-art equipment. Stephen also attended the China Forest Protection Conference in Shanghai, and the Fifth China Eucalyptus Forum and Industry Exhibition in Changsha, Hunan.

Outside the South African Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo	A worker preparing a vertical trap log to capture bark beetles	Bark beetle galleries from an attacked Pinus simaoensis tree in Simao, Yunnan
Stephen Taerum and colleagues at the office in CERC	Vigorous negotiations in Qinghai	Taking a break from collecting in Qinghai