Over 30 Years of Insect Rearing and Research
Gary L. Benzon, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO
Gary holds a Ph.D. in Entomology from North Carolina State University, and B.S. and M.S. degrees in Entomology and Applied Ecology from the University of Delaware. Prior to 1993, he held industry and government positions working with mosquitoes, forest pests, indoor/urban pests, and pesticide application technology. Among other recognitions, Gary received the NC State University Entomology and Plant Pathology Outstanding Alumni Award for his contributions to the field for which he has devoted his entire professional career.
Humble Origins to Modern Excellence
From established organizations to enthusiastic start-ups, we have spent over three decades providing our clients with custom tailored insect orders and contract research. In that time, we’ve supplied insects to thousands of university research programs, government institutions, and private industry scientists. We pride ourselves on having come from humble beginnings in a small, rural location, and the perspective that brings to our operation as we grow into the future. At Benzon Research, the needs of our customers always come first, and we are grateful for our amazing staff that makes that possible.
Gary founded Benzon Research in 1993 in the basement of his home in rural Carlisle, PA. Initially, the laboratory consisted of only 400 square feet and housed just three insect species during the first five years of business. These insects were used for in-house work and none were sold. Dr. Benzon, working mostly by himself, performed various bioassays of microbial insecticides on a regular basis.
In 2000, Benzon Research obtained seven moth colonies along with some related rearing equipment. The remainder of Gary’s basement was transformed into a professional (but still small!) rearing facility. In addition to using these new species for our own bioassays, we began selling them to other laboratories to help defray the cost of rearing.
It wasn’t long before lack of space became a real problem, so plans were developed for a new, purpose-built laboratory. Our current facility opened in 2002 with a small, mostly part-time staff.
Since 2002, our insect rearing program has grown dramatically, such that insect production is now the primary focus of our business. While the varieties of laboratory research we conduct has decreased in favor of insect sales, our bio-assay capabilities for microbial insecticides remain second to none.
Dr. Benzon retired from running the day-to-day operations of Benzon Research in 2014, but remains connected for regular consultation. The laboratory is currently directed by Chad Finkenbinder, who has been with the company since 2003. The remainder of our dedicated laboratory staff work 7 days a week, 365 days a year, to ensure the continued success of Benzon Research as the country’s leading supplier of research insects and microbial pest control bioassays.