Societies
The council has members that represent a number of national entomological societies. A brief background and contact details for these societies is provided here:
Australian Entomological Society
Australia’s unique biodiversity and its reliance on agricultural industries have led to a long history of entomological research. The Australian Entomological Society was founded in 1965, partly in response to the need for a national society to coordinate a bid for an International Congress of Entomology meeting to be held in Australia. An ICE meeting was held in 1972 in Canberra and in 2004 in Brisbane. In 2013 the society became a company coordinated by a Board of Directors elected by the membership. The society’s membership currently stands at approximately 400.
The society has a journal, Austral Entomology, which encourages submissions that feature entomological research carried out on insect biota of the southern hemisphere. In fact, the journal was founded and named as the Journal of the Australian Entomological Society by the Entomological Society of Queensland before the national society was formed. The journal was re-named The Australian Journal of Entomology in 1996 and took on its current title in 2014. The chief editor is a member of the governing board. The AES newsletter, Myrmecia is named after the society’s emblematic insect, the bull ant, Myrmecia gulosa.
The society has a number of annual awards and prizes that are announced at the Annual General Meeting and Conference. The Mackerras Medal is awarded to a mid-career entomologist who has demonstrated excellence in entomology. The Pat Marks Medal is a lifetime achievement award to a member who has achieved an outstanding lifetime career in entomology and made a significant contribution to the Society. The Phil Carne Prize is the Society's student award based upon consideration of a scientific paper primarily authored by the student. The awards are named after eminent entomologists who played major roles in the society. More details about the society are available at its website, Australian Entomological Society and in the article, The history of the Australian entomological society, published in Austral Entomology.
The Entomological Society of America
As the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines, the Entomological Society of America (ESA) is a champion for our field both within the United States and around the world. ESA’s motto is “Sharing Insect Science Globally.”
ESA traces its roots as far back as 1889, to the founding of the American Association of Economic Entomologists, which co-existed with ESA, founded in 1906, until the organizations merged under the ESA banner in 1953. Today, ESA counts more than 7,000 entomologists and related professionals among its members, with six geographic Branches and four discipline-based Sections: Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology; Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology; Plant–Insect Ecosystems; and Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity.
ESA’s family of scientific journals serve as a hub for entomological knowledge and showcase the broad, dynamic range of research in insect science and all its sub-specialties. They include the interdisciplinary Annals of the Entomological Society of America, the cutting-edge Insect Systematics and Diversity, the open-access, practitioner-focused Journal of Integrated Pest Management, and much more.
Every year, the ESA Annual Meeting brings roughly 3,500 entomologists and other scientists together to share their research and learn from their colleagues. A program of symposia, workshops, poster and infographic sessions, and unique keynotes provides attendees a one-of-a-kind experience to learn, network, and advance their careers. In 2016, the ESA Annual Meeting took place in conjunction with the International Congress of Entomology when ESA hosted ICE in Orlando, Florida, USA—resulting in the largest professional meeting of entomologists ever, with more than 6,600 people in attendance.
ESA also serves the entomological community—and society at large—through its influential public policy program, the Board Certified and Associate Certified Entomologist certifications, its American Entomologist magazine and Entomology Today blog, a professional-development webinar series, an online career center, and a robust collection of prestigious professional awards. And it fosters the future of entomology through the Chrysalis Fund, which awards yearly grants for programs that teach kids about insect science.
Learn more about the Entomological Society of America at www.entsoc.org.
The Dutch Entomological Society (Nederlandse Entomologische Verening)
The Dutch Entomological Society (Nederlandse Entomologische Verening) was established in 1845 and is the fourth oldest national society. But long before this year, the Dutch studied insects: Hoefnagel (circa 1600) and Hollar (circa 1650) published books with etchings of insects, the still life painter and naturalist Goedaert depicted an adult parasitoid in1662 but did not understand its biology, Swammerdam, together with the still life painter Marsilius were the first to observe and interpret the phenomenon of insect parasitism in Europe (1678), while Van Leeuwenhoek wrote an intriguing letter to the Royal Society (dated 26 October 1700 and published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Society) in which he described his discovery of aphid parasitsm with a beautiful drawing of the parasitoid (likely Aphidius ribis) and suggested that these parasitoids kept the aphid numbers low on his fruit trees in his garden in Delft.
Currently, the society has about 750 members, of which 40% are professional entomologists and 60% are amateurs. Amateurs have always made up the largest membership and always form an important part of the board of the society. The society has a number of sections dealing with taxonomy of insect (sub)orders, nature management and insect photography. Annually, five meetings are organized in which all members can participate. During the summer meeting, a several day collection trip is made to a (semi)natural area, the winter meeting is partly spent on insect identification (the so-named boxes day), the general assembly is held in spring, in fall we usually visit a company, institute or university where insects are studied and a at the end of the year, the Entomology day is organized for professional entomologists. The library of the society holds one of the largest entomological book and journal collections, including many old and unique manuscripts. The society publishes a number of journals, of which the most important are Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, Tijdschrift voor Entomologie (Journal of Entomology, with taxonomic and zoogeographic papers) and Monografieën van de NEV (Monographies of the Dutch Entomological Society, with papers ranging from 74 to more than 400 pages).
Activities of the society are for a large part supported by legacies of some of its members. Information about the society can be found on: www.nev.nl
The Entomological Society of Canada
The Entomological Society of Canada was founded in Toronto on 16 April 1863, was open to “all students and lovers of Entomology”. The first officers were Prof. H. Croft, President; W. Saunders, Secretary Treasurer; and Rev. J. Hubbert, Curator. The organization flourished as interested collectors of insects showed their acquisitions at meetings, discussed the natural history of their favourite species, exchanged specimens, described and named new species, and started museum collections of Canadian insects. In 1871, at the insistence of the Ontario Government which had begun to provide funds to the Society, its name was changed to The Entomological Society of Ontario. Despite this change, the Society remained the focal point for entomology across Canada, including publication of The Canadian Entomologist is the oldest currently published entomological journal in Canada.
Following World War II, there was a nationwide rapid increase in the number of professional entomologists, especially in federal government laboratories, and it was soon recognised that their needs would be best served by a ‘new’ national society that had no implied regional bias. Thus, on 3 November 1950, The Entomological Society of Canada, as it is known today, was founded. Its founding officers were W.A. Ross, President; A.W. Baker, Vice President; W.R. Thompson, Editor; R.H. Wigmore, Secretary; A.B. Baird, Treasurer; and seven Directors.
Responsibility for publication of The Canadian Entomologist was immediately transferred to the new national group. In addition, in 1955 the Society began publication of a series of Memoirs, dealing mainly with studies in systematics. Though publication of the Memoirs ceased in 1997, after 171 issues, they are still sought after by taxonomists. The role of the Memoirs has now been taken over to some extent by the on-line Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification, also published by the Society.
The Society was pivotal in the foundation of the Biological Survey of Canada (BSC) in 1977. Initially developed from a series of contracts between the Society and the federal Department of Supply and Services, the BSC became firmly established in 1980 at the National Museum of Natural Sciences (now the Canadian Museum of Nature) under a continuing partnership with the Society. In 2009 the BSC became a not-for-profit corporation in anticipation of reduced financial support from the Canadian Museum of Nature. The BSC’s ties with the ESC remain very important as the BSC’s current and future work will have a strong entomological component.
Following a persistent decline in the level of research support in federal laboratories beginning in the early 1970s, the Society became much more active in its publication of briefs, green papers, etc., and in its interactions with government. Many of its position papers were bound into the Society’s quarterly newsletter, the Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Canada, whose publication had begun in 1969.
The Society works closely with Canada’s seven regional entomological societies, one of which serves as the host for the Society’s Annual Meeting, an arrangement that facilitates discussion and exchange of ideas among entomologists across the country. The existence of a national society enabled Canada to serve as the host country for the quadrennial meeting of worldwide entomologists, the International Congress of Entomology: Montreal, 1956 and Vancouver, 1988.
With a current membership of around 400, including a vibrant student section, the Society remains one of the largest and oldest professional societies in Canada. See: https://esc-sec.ca
The German Society for General and Applied Entomology
The DGaaE ("German Society for General and Applied Entomology") unites entomologists working in research and practice, both professionally and by vocation. It is the task of the society to promote the knowledge of entomology and research on entomological problems. The society serves to fulfil these tasks by promoting personal contacts, information exchange and cooperation with full-time and part-time entomologists and with scientific societies in Germany and abroad. There are active working groups on various entomological topics, some of which are run jointly with other societies. For special achievements in basic entomological research the Society regularly awards the Fabricius Medal, in the field of applied research the Karl Escherich Medal, and in the field of systematics and faunistics the Meigen Medal. Every two years the Society awards the Weiss/Wiehe Foundation Prize for the outstanding work of a young scientist on an entomological topic (e.g. for a dissertation). The Mitteilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für allgemeine und angewandte Entomologie contains publications on the lectures and posters delivered during the biennial entomology conferences. Three to four issues of the DGaaE-Nachrichten are published annually for mutual information of the members. The subscription to these two publications is included in the membership fee. In 2006 the Journal of Applied Entomology became an official publication of the DGaaE. Every two years the DGaaE organizes a scientific lecture conference (Entomologists' Conference) on all areas of entomology and a workshop (Insects' Conferences) on selected current topics in applied entomology.
The entomologists' conferences take place in odd years at changing locations. There, scientists from research institutions in Germany and abroad, amateur entomologists and the working groups of the DGaaE present their results. The conferences last one week and the lectures are usually held in four parallel sessions. The insect conferences take place in even years at changing locations. These workshops are held together with the German Phytomedical Society (DPG). There are informal presentations and plenty of room for discussion. The results of a workshop are published in the form of a white paper in the society's news bulletin. Currently the DGaaE comprises some 800 members worldwide.
History: The DGaaE was created in 1976 from the merger of the DEG (German Entomological Society) and the DGaE (German Society for Applied Entomology). The forerunner of DEG was founded in 1856 at the instigation of the beetle researcher Dr Gustav Kraatz as the Entomological Society of Berlin. In 1881, the entomologists whose research interest was mainly focused on beetles joined together within this association under the name of Deutsche Entomologische Gesellschaft. From 1857 on, the Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift was published as a scientific journal, which still exists today as the Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift. The DGaE was founded in 1913 by the forest entomologist Prof. Dr Karl Escherich. In the post-war period, mainly hobby entomologists had organised themselves in the DEG, while professional entomologists united in the DGaE. This separation became increasingly unclear over time as more and more entomologists were members of both societies. Discussions about merging the two societies began in 1956. The protracted merger negotiations were started in 1969 and ended in 1976 with the unification to the DGaaE.
More information can be found here: https://www.dgaae.de/en/
The Entomological Society of Brazil
The Entomological Society of Brazil (SEB) is a non-profit civil entity that brings together individuals and legal entities of any nationality. SEB was founded on February 22, 1972, during the Meeting of Agricultural Entomology held in Uruçuca city, Bahia state, northeast Brazil. The objective of the founders, composed of 43 entomologists, was to create an entity that would bring together professors, researchers, technicians, and others interested in the study of Entomology and its application for the benefit of humanity. To promote the exchange among professionals in the field as well as to stimulate research and disseminate knowledge about Entomology, SEB currently promotes the Brazilian Congress of Entomology and the Biological Control Symposium, one every two years; awards the entomologists who do outstanding activities; and publishes the SEB Newsletter (since 1972) and journals of Neotropical Entomology (since 1972) and Entomological Communications (since 2019).The Society hosted the XXI International Congress of Entomology in 2.000. The headquarters of the Entomological Society of Brazil is, at present, located in the city of Santo Antônio de Goiás, Goiás, Brazil.
The “Sociedad Entomológica Argentina” (SEA)
The “Sociedad Entomológica Argentina” (SEA) is one of the oldest scientific societies in the country, created in 1925. The SEA is dedicated to connecting people interested in insects and promotes activities related to the knowledge and research of insects and other arthropods in different aspects of systematics, ecology, biogeography, genetics, behavior, agricultural pests, medical-veterinary entomology, among other biological areas. The Society currently has over 350 members from Argentina and abroad (Australia, Bolivia, Brasil, Canadá, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, EEUU, México, Perú, Uruguay, Venezuela). The Society publishes a tri-annual, open access, peer-reviewed scientific journal (member publish for-free) “Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina” and a tri-annual Newsletter, “Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina”. The Society supports the Argentine Congress of Entomology held every three years since 1987.
The Russian Entomological Society (REO)
The Russian Entomological Society (REO) is a union of professional and amateur entomologists established in 1859 in Saint Petersburg by Karl Ernst von Baer, Johann Friedrich von Brandt (who was then the director of the Zoological Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences), Ya. A. Kushakevich, Colonel Alexander Karlovich Manderstern, Alexander von Middendorff, Colonel of General Staff Victor Ivanovitsch Motschulsky, and Ferdinand Morawitz. REO is one of the oldest scientific biological societies in the country. The Society has changed its name several times, and during the Soviet period was called the All-Union Entomological Society.
The main goal of REO is to popularize entomological knowledge, promote teaching of Entomology and develop relationships with foreign scientists. The Central Council and Presidium of the Society are located in Saint Petersburg; basically, in the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Universitetskaya emb., 1. Karl Ernst von Baer was elected the first President of the Society. Professor, Doctor of Biological Sciences Andrey V. Selikhovkin (Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University) is the current (13th) President of the Society (since 2012; reelected in 2017).
In 1860, the Society consisted of 106 members, in 1959 there were 1960 members, 3130 in 1978, 2000 in 2002, and in 2018 there were about 800 members. Since 1861, the Society has published its proceedings (Horae Societatis Entomologicae Rossicae; currently – Proceedings of The Russian Entomological Society), and since 1901 the journal Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie [= Entomological Review] (until 1933 as Russkoye Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie [= Russian Entomological Review]). Currently, Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie is published under the umbrella of the Russian Academy of Sciences, translated into English and published as Entomological Review (https://www.springer.com/journal/11474). Other publications of the Society are listed here (https://www.zin.ru/societies/res/rus/periodicals.html). REO has 28 regional branches. General meetings of the Society are organized once every 5 years. The latest one was in 2017 (July 31 – August 6) in Novosibirsk. The Society has its official web site: https://www.zin.ru/societies/res/index.html