Orchid bees
Tribe Euglossini
Burying beetle
Nicrophorus orbicollis
Stingless bees
Tetragonisca angustula
Giant mayfly
Hexagenia limbata
Rusty patched bumble bee
Bombus affinis
Goldenrod soldier beetle
Chauliognathus pensylvanicus
Colorado potato beetle
Leptinotarsa decemlineata
Common blue damselfly
Enallagma cyathigerum
Valley carpenter bee
Xylocopa sonorina
Spongy moth
Lymantria dispar
Honeybee
Apis mellifera
Mining bee
Andrena sp.
Squash vine borer
Melittia cucurbitae
Bumblebee mimic robber fly
Laphria thoracica
Welcome to the Department of Entomology!
The Department of Entomology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison is a world-class graduate training and research institution committed to advancing research in insect biology in both basic and applied contexts. We offer MS and Ph.D. degrees in Entomology and two undergraduate majors (Entomology & Global Health). Our faculty and staff members along with our graduate students, postdoctoral associates, affiliated and emeritus professors offer a dynamic and interdisciplinary research and teaching environment to prepare students for a future in entomology.
The Department is housed in Russell Laboratories and makes extensive use of campus greenhouse facilities and the agricultural research stations located throughout the state for research, outreach and educational purposes. Russell Labs houses three departments: Entomology, Forest and Wildlife Ecology, and Plant Pathology. The building is centrally located on the UW-Madison campus making it ideal for collaborative work with other departments.
Values such as inclusion, integrity, community, and respect are an integral part of department culture and official code of conduct.
Quick Links
Department News
-
New paper co-authored by Sean Schoville explores the genetic history of a rare color morph of Colias butterflies
A new paper recently published in Scientific Advances explores the genetic history of a rare color morph of Colias butterflies. Read the abstract below, or read the full paper here. Title: Evidence for a single, ancient origin of a genus-wide alternative life history strategy Abstract: Understanding the evolutionary origins and factors maintaining alternative life history…
-
PJ Liesch recognized as Best Communicator by the Agriculture Institute
PJ Liesch, extension entomologist and director of the insect diagnostic lab, received Best Communicator in the 2023 UW-Madison Agriculture Institute staff and faculty awards! Congratulations, PJ! The Best Communicator award is for a colleague who has done an exceptional job communicating research-based information in an accessible, approachable way. The award notes that “PJ is an…
-
Scott Chapman, Dan Heider receive national IR-4 awards
Scott Chapman, a scientist in the Department of Entomology, and Dan Heider, a research program coordinator in the Department of Horticulture, were recently honored with national awards from the USDA’s IR-4 Project. Dan Heider was awarded the National Recognition of Excellence Award. This award is given once every 3 years to individuals that demonstrate outstanding achievements that…
-
Swarm To Table food and insect celebration returns April 15, 2023
The UW-Madison Undergraduate Entomology Society, Slow Food UW, and MIGHTi are pleased to announce the 2023 Swarm To Table event, to be held 2:00-5:00 pm, Saturday, April 15th, at The Crossing (1127 University Ave, Madison, WI 53715). Swarm to Table is a celebration of insects in food, art, and human culture, with a gourmet tasting…
-
Single Mow of Park Trails Not Enough to Reduce Ticks
Dr. Xia Lee, public health entomologist in the Vectorborne, Respiratory, and Invasive Diseases Unit at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, shares an update on research investigating whether current tick prevention practices in state and county parks (i.e. mowing park trails) is sufficient to control blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), which transmits Lyme disease. Read the…
Meaningful Research
Advancing research in insect biology in both basic and applied contexts.
Top-notch Instruction
Interdisciplinary instruction to inform students, collaborators, and the community.
Far-reaching Impact
Embodying the Wisconsin Idea, making the boundaries of our work the boundaries of the Wisconsin and beyond.
Vision
We focus on high-impact science that leverages our collective expertise on arthropod biology to solve problems in agriculture, the environment, and human health.