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
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What’s Really Killing Monarch Butterflies?
Monarch butterfly expert, Dr. Karen Oberhauser, was featured in this article in Scientific American discussing the threats facing monarch butterflies.
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Bumble Bees and Climate Chaos
Bumble bees face perilous times due to changing climate, land-use changes, and other factors. Dr. Claudio Gratton was featured in a video clip in this National Geographic article on the challenges that bumble bee face.
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Controlling Crop Pests with RNA
New pest control technologies, including RNA-based products, offer novel ways of targeting important crop pests while reducing conventional pesticide inputs. Vegetable entomologist Dr. Russ Groves was recently interviewed about these new technologies being developed and how they could change modern farming.
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Taking Ticks Seriously
Deer ticks pose significant health risks to Wisconsin residents and Governor Tony Evers recently signed a bill requiring the DNR to do more to warn visitors to state lands about the risks that ticks pose. Tick expert, Dr. Susan Paskewitz was featured in this recent article about the legislation and the tick situation in Wisconsin.
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Beetles Suspected in Horse Deaths
Extension entomologist PJ Liesch was recently interviewed by both the Wisconsin State Journal and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the potentially deadly effects of blister beetles. A riding stable in Mauston, WI recently lost 14 horses and blister beetles are suspected to have played a role. Livestock can be affected if blister beetles are present…
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.