Orchid bees
Tribe Euglossini
Photo: Tony Shen
Burying beetle
Nicrophorus orbicollis
Photo: Tony Shen
Stingless bees
Tetragonisca angustula
Photo: Tony Shen
Giant mayfly
Hexagenia limbata
Photo: Tony Shen
Rusty patched bumble bee
Bombus affinis
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
Goldenrod soldier beetle
Chauliognathus pensylvanicus
Photo: Tony Shen
Colorado potato beetle
Leptinotarsa decemlineata
Photo: Ben Bradford
Common blue damselfly
Enallagma cyathigerum
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
Valley carpenter bee
Xylocopa sonorina
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
Spongy moth
Lymantria dispar
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
Honeybee
Apis mellifera
Photo: Ben Bradford
Mining bee
Andrena sp.
Photo: Ben Bradford
Squash vine borer
Melittia cucurbitae
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
Bumblebee mimic robber fly
Laphria thoracica
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
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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UW Students Take 2nd Place at ESA Linnaean Games
Every year, teams of entomology students from around the country face off at the Linnaean Games—a head-to-head entomology-themed trivia competition held at the annual Entomological Society of America meeting. UW Entomology took second place overall in 2019! https://www.entsoc.org/awards/student/linnaean_list
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Early Cold Snap Doesn’t Faze Ticks
Despite the early snow around Halloween and unseasonably cold temperatures, ticks can still be encountered. Tick levels seem to be similar to last year or possibly higher in some areas according to Dr. Susan Paskewitz. https://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/story/news/2019/11/06/wisconsin-tick-season-continues-more-ticks-mean-more-lyme-disease/4095890002/
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Welcome Dr. Amy Trowbridge!
The entomology department is excited to announce our new forest entomologist, Dr. Amy Trowbridge. Amy’s research focuses on how climate variability can alters a tree’s ability to chemically defend itself against insects. A website for the Trowbridge lab is in the works, but in the meantime, Amy can be found on Twitter as @amy_trowbridge. New…
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Monarchs on the Move
Monarchs are on the move one their 2000+ mile trip to their overwintering ground in Mexico. Monarch expert, Dr. karen Oberhauser describes the biology of monarch butterflies in this interview with Wisconsin Public Radio: https://www.wpr.org/beautiful-sight-huge-wave-monarch-butterflies-prepare-migrate
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Bees Need Meat
It seems intuitive that bees herbivores that eat pollen and nectar. Fascinating research by Dr. Prarthana Dharampal and Dr. Shawn Steffan has found that the diet of bees can also include a significant portion of microbes which serve as a protein “meat” source. Their work was recently published in American Naturalist and Proceedings of the Royal Society B and…
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.