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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“Swarm to Table” Edible Insects Event Series
While entomophagy, or the eating of insects, may seem taboo in the US, insects are widely used around the globe as parts of human diets. One of the early leaders in the formal study of entomophagy was Dr. Gene DeFoliart—a long time member of the UW-Madison Department of Entomology. Today, entomophagy is getting reexamined for it’s potential…
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Bed Bugs Return
Bed bugs are back on the scene and can show up wherever humans move them according to Extension entomologist PJ Liesch in this recent article from the Baraboo News Republic.
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Dr. Paskewitz Goes to Washington
Dr. Susan Paskewitz recently traveled to Washington DC to meet with federal officials and speak out on behalf of the University of Wisconsin: https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2019/03/26/badgers-take-powerful-message-congress/3284184002/
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Backyard Mosquito Treatments Can Impact Other Insects
With insects in decline, it’s important to keep our everyday actions in mind. Dr. Karen Oberhauser discusses how backyard mosquito treatments can have impacts on other insects, including fireflies: https://madison.com/wsj/opinion/column/karen-oberhauser-to-spray-or-not-to-spray-controlling-mosquitoes/article_f862878c-b508-5292-8b83-6dce84cedad4.html
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Winter Survival of Insects
Extension entomologist PJ Liesch discusses winter survival of insects and why this year’s polar vortex might not have much of an impact on insects in this column for Wiscontext: https://www.wiscontext.org/even-polar-vortex-no-match-insects-adapted-cold-conditions
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.