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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Recent Heavy Rains Result in Explosion of “Floodwater” Mosquitoes
Recent heavy rains have resulted in an explosion of “floodwater” mosquitoes in many parts of Wisconsin, as Mosquito expert Susan Paskewitz describes in this recent story by the Janesville GazetteXtra: https://www.gazettextra.com/news/local/needle-nosed-pests-breeding-in-local-puddles/article_7ed32e82-687a-5cba-81c4-834a86def683.html
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Tiny Chinch Bug Played a Role in Wisconsin’s Journey to Become the Dairy State
While Wisconsin is known as “America’s Dairyland”, that wasn’t always the case. Insect Diagnostician, PJ Liesch, recently published an article with Wiscontext telling the story of how the tiny chinch bug played a role in Wisconsin’s journey to become the Dairy State: https://www.wpr.org/wiscontext-how-tiny-insect-set-stage-wisconsin-dairy
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Entomology Department Projects at the UW Arboretum
The University of Wisconsin Arboretum has a strong legacy of research, including many projects conducted by past and present members of the entomology department, including Dr. Karen Oberhauser and Dr. Susan Paskewitz as described in this recent piece from the Wisconsin State Farmer: https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2018/08/17/living-legacy-research-uw-arboretum/1025737002/
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Grad Student Audrey Simard’s Research on Guttation Fluid and Potential Impacts on Pollinators Featured in The Country Today
Graduate student Audrey Simard’s research on gutstion fluid and the potential impacts on pollinators was recently featured in this article from The Country Today: http://www.thecountrytoday.com/Country-Life/Country-Life-News/2018/08/06/div-class-libPageBodyLinebreak-Student-studies-guttation-fluid-effects-on-pollinators-div.html
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Armyworms Popping Up in Damaging Numbers in Crop Fields Around Wisconsin
In a surprise for the state’s farmers, armyworms have been popping up in damaging numbers in crop fields around Wisconsin according to Integrated Pest Management specialist Bryan Jensen: https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/state/2018/07/22/armyworms-living-up-their-name-farm-fields-summer/816974002/
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.