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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Rearing Monarchs Might Not be Such a Good Thing
In an interesting twist, a recent study found that monarch butterflies raised in captivity may struggle to navigate properly during their migration. Monarch expert, Dr. Karen Oberhauser, was quoted in The Atlantic about the situation: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/06/hand-reared-monarch-butterflies-dont-migrate/592423/
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Good News for Monarchs
There’s good news for monarchs according to Extension entomologist PJ Liesch in this interview with the Wisconsin State Farmer. Last year’s winter tally saw an increase in overwintering monarchs of 144%—the biggest bump in their numbers in over a decade: https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2019/06/13/monarch-butterfly-populations-rebound/1445770001/
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Tracking Ticks with The Tick App
The Tick App smartphone app from the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector Borne Disease is looking to gain a better understanding of where ticks occur. Dr. Susan Paskewitz and Dr. Lyric Bartholomay were both interviewed for this story in Wiscontext: https://www.wiscontext.org/encountering-backyard-bloodsuckers-tick-app-tracks
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Look out for slugs and cutworms in field crops!
Field crop entomologist Bryan Jensen has been urging farmers to keep a close eye on their fields for damage as the rainy conditions have been very favorable for slugs and cutworms this spring: https://brownfieldagnews.com/news/pest-expert-says-scout-fields-early-for-slugs-cutworms/
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Insect Trends Change Over the Years
Insect populations change over time, and retired Extension entomologist Phil Pellitteri recently spoke in Wausau to describe insect trends over the years: https://www.agupdate.com/agriview/news/business/pests-attack-change-territories/article_337cdefa-4879-5841-a017-e100a8cc051e.html
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.