Michael Strand’s laboratory is interested in the interactions between insects, parasites and microorganisms. Early work focused on chemical cues that regulate the foraging of parasitoid wasps, and life history traits that affect clutch size and sex ratio biology. The laboratory thereafter shifted emphasis to studying molecular mechanisms of host immune defense and counterstrategies by parasites for evading or suppressing host defense responses. This includes studies of microbial mutualists that either play essential roles in host defense or parasite virulence. In recent years, his laboratory in conjunction with collaborators has studied the endocrine regulation of mosquito reproduction, and the role the gut microbiota plays in mosquito development. This has led to identification of several genes and molecules with essential functions in egg production and larval growth. Overall, research in the laboratory is strongly integrative and spans the fields of genomics, development, immunology, microbiology, ecology, and evolution. The laboratory has also generated fundamental knowledge that can be applied to pest management.