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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Dr. Susan Paskewitz Will Lecture on Ticks and Their Role in Lyme Disease at the UW-Platteville Baraboo/Sauk County
Dr. Susan Paskewitz will be giving a lecture on ticks and their role in Lyme disease at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Baraboo/Sauk County campus on Thursday, 3/14 [details for the event can be found here]
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Butterflies are Charismatic Insects Humans Readily Connect With
Butterflies are charismatic insects that humans readily connect with according to Karen Oberhauser. Unfortunately, butterflies also face significant declines as described in this article from the Washington Post.
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Cold Weather Won’t Mean Fewer Bugs This Summer
Despite the brutally cold polar vortex last month, many of Wisconsin’s insects are well-adapted to the cold and we’ll still see plenty of insects this summer, says Extension entomologist PJ Liesch in this article for Madison’s Channel 3000: https://www.channel3000.com/news/bug-off-cold-weather-won-t-mean-fewer-bugs-this-summer-experts-warn/1044823901
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Monarch Butterfly Challenges
Monarch butterflies face tough challenges, yet a recent overwintering survey found a strong increase in monarch numbers in Mexico. Dr. Karen Oberhauser discusses monarch populations in this recent article from The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/the-vanishing-flights-of-the-monarch-butterfly
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Top 10 Insect Trends for 2018
Each year tells a different insect story and last year didn’t disappoint. PJ Liesch of the UW Insect Diagnostic Lab describes 2018’s big insect trends in his recent column for Wiscontext: https://www.wiscontext.org/wisconsins-top-10-insect-trends-2018
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.