University of Maryland Department of Entomology

University of Maryland Department of Entomology UMD's Department of Entomology makes new strides everyday in Ecology, Biology, Genetics, and Pest Management. and Ph.D. programs.

The Entomology Department at a Glance Research, teaching, and extension have been the backbone of the Department of Entomology for more than 100 years. Our faculty, students and post-doctoral fellows remain committed to these three areas, in addition to outreach and public service. We maintain our historical focus on insects and their relatives, but the Department's interests also span a diversity

of subdisciplines, including ecology, aquatic biology, molecular and developmental biology, genetics, biological control of insects and weeds, systematics, evolutionary biology, integrated pest management, toxicology, and insect pathology. Graduate Programs
The Entomology Department offers M.S. Students may also enroll in interdisciplinary graduate programs such as Biological Sciences Graduate Program (BISI), Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences (MEES) and Toxicology. Our Entomology program currently enrolls 45-50 graduate students. Approximately half of these students pursue a degree in Entomology, and the other half enter an interdisciplinary program. Training of students and the teaching, research and extension activities of faculty and staff are enriched and facilitated by interactions with many off-campus public, governmental, and private organizations. These include the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and National Agricultural Library, Smithsonian Institution, National Institutes of Health, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, National Park Service, and others. At the University of Maryland
The department belongs to the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS), but with many partial appointments in the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) and/or Maryland Cooperative Extension Service, which are administered through the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR). The Entomology Chair reports to both CMNS and AGNR Deans.

University of Maryland InsectTerps are kicking off the semester with some terrific news! 👇🎉 Congratulations to Dr. Bill ...
08/31/2026

University of Maryland InsectTerps are kicking off the semester with some terrific news! 👇

🎉 Congratulations to Dr. Bill Lamp, UMD Professor, for being elected an Honorary Member of the Entomological Society of America

Bill has been an ESA member since 1977. For 49 years and counting he has contributed his enthusiasm for insect science and his expertise in plant-insect interactions, aquatic entomology, non-target risk analysis, and biological control with the society and its members. His service to ESA includes leadership at both the larger ESA level and the Branch level. In 2021-2022 while Bill was ESA's Eastern Branch president he created EntoQuest, an annual meeting focused on informal interactions among students and ESA members in a natural setting. The event continues this Sept!

We are so proud to see Bill receive this recognition! Read more about Bill’s achievement in ESA’s press release.
https://go.umd.edu/2dzr

2026 Entomology Retreat - Reflecting bug-ack and looking forward🗨️an address from the chair 🗨️talks from current facult...
08/28/2026

2026 Entomology Retreat - Reflecting bug-ack and looking forward
🗨️an address from the chair
🗨️talks from current faculty and researchers
🏆student awards
🗨️an invited alum talk w/ Amanda Field, Senior Advisor, Office of Legislative and Policy Analysis, National Institutes of Health (Ph.D. ’15, Biological Sciences, Pick Lab)
✒️Snap Happy Photo Booth
🧩Puzzle competition
🕷️Insect Zoo appearance

08/20/2026
08/20/2026

What's on the lunch menu this week?

Undergraduate Nicolas Brown, Biological Sciences: Ecology & Evolution ECEV, is managing meals at the University of Maryland Insect Zoo. Today the orchid mantis dines on an American cockroach. Talk about a protein rich diet.

University of Maryland's arthropod ambassadors are having an un-bug-lievably great summer! Todd Waters and Kelsey McGurr...
08/13/2026

University of Maryland's arthropod ambassadors are having an un-bug-lievably great summer! Todd Waters and Kelsey McGurrin took a road trip to the Garrett County Fair last week to introduce local residents to some incredible creatures from around the globe, including:

🌿 Giant Malaysian leaf insect (Malay Peninsula)
🌍 Giant African millipede (East Africa)
🍂 Dead Leaf mantis (Southeast Asia)
🕷️ Chaco golden knee tarantula (Argentina & Paraguay)

A huge thank you to the Garrett County MD 4-H Youth Development for hosting us. We had a bug-last visiting Western Maryland!

WMRA Public Radio joins Allison Huysman, PhD Student at University of Maryland-Ento & Research fellow with Smithsonian's...
08/13/2026

WMRA Public Radio joins Allison Huysman, PhD Student at University of Maryland-Ento & Research fellow with Smithsonian's Virginia Working Landscapes, as she and her team check in on the diets of eastern bluebirds nesting in farmlands. Take a minute (or 5) to listen in as Allison shares more about how birds provide pest control on working lands. & bonus, the interview also captures the songs of other birds heard around their field site.

How effective are native, cavity-nesting birds at providing pest control on farms? Researchers with the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute aim to find out. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.

'Bug'-inning a new academic year with a new Entomology Student Organization leadership team - Logan Lott, Pablo Stillwel...
08/12/2026

'Bug'-inning a new academic year with a new Entomology Student Organization leadership team - Logan Lott, Pablo Stillwell, Emma Hotchkiss, Lillian Davis, Harriet Harris and Niina Craven! The Department of Entomology is proud to see students renew this historic organization year to year - bringing new ideas, resources, and events to grad students and the broader UMD community.

UMD Entomology Student Organization

1998 called and they want their full professor back. Dr. Sara Via's promotion this year to professor emeritus is giving ...
08/06/2026

1998 called and they want their full professor back. Dr. Sara Via's promotion this year to professor emeritus is giving us the opportunity to page through past research and memories. In 1998 Sara and her lab crew spent summers ping ponging between the lab and the field studying pea aphid systems to try to better understand ecological and quantitative genetics, speciation, and insect–plant interactions. Fun fact, her son Andy Hawthorne, 8 at the time, joined the lab for a few field days that summer.

08/06/2026

Registration Now Open!

Secure your spot for the Maryland Native Plant Society's 2026 Annual Conference
• 2 day event | Sept. 12-13
• Meals included
• Presentations by native plant professionals
• Native plant sale
• Field trips & workshops
• Optional add-on: Saturday evening dinner and presentations

Register here: mdflora.org/fall-conference

Address

4112 Plant Sciences Building
College Park, MD
20742

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

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