Department of Entomology

Insect ID & Questions:

employment weevil — Avocado Seed Weevil - Mike Lewis, UCR

Bug Spotlight

Request an Insect ID

Insect ID Information

Entomology Research Museum

Spider ID & Questions:

brown widow spider — Brown Recluse Spider - Rick Vetter, UCR

UCR Spiders Page

Spider ID or Questions

2020 Ig Nobel Prize - Arachnophobic Entomologists

*questions will be forwarded to our semi-retired arachnid expert, please allow a couple days for reply.

February 02, 2023

How CRISPR could help save crops from devastation caused by pests

Central California grape-grower Steve McIntyre was familiar with Pierce’s Disease. But that did not prepare him for what he saw when he visited his brother’s Southern California citrus and avocado farm in 1998. The disease, which causes vines to wither...

November 23, 2022

The Baers and the Bees

Meet the Baers, the sweet married couple who work together, play together, and are quietly saving the world together. They’re helping honey bees survive, which in turn ensures us humans get to keep eating for the foreseeable future. The continuous...

November 22, 2022

How Hoverflies Spawn Maggots that Sweeten Your Oranges

Oblique streaktail hoverflies zip from bloom to bloom wearing a wasp costume to avoid getting eaten. But it’s all for show – they don’t even have stingers! Their fierce maggots, on the other hand, devour hundreds of insect pests. As...

October 07, 2022

Formosan Termites Confirmed in Two New Southern California Locations

Formosan subterranean termites (Coptotermes formosanus) continue to be on the radar of pest management professionals in Southern California following confirmation of two more infestations — one from a house in La Verne, Calif., and the other from a house in...

October 07, 2022

Riverside entomologist fights to protect iconic palm trees from invasive bug

They flew up from Tijuana, and now they’re wreaking havoc on palm trees. The South American palm weevil poses the biggest threat to the famous coastal palms in Los Angeles, but entomologist Dr. Mark Hoddle is doing research to develop...

October 05, 2022

195 ways to help California’s painted ladies

By documenting hundreds of new nectar plants for painted ladies, scientists have renewed hope these charismatic butterflies may prove resilient to climate change. Every spring, swarms of the colorful butterflies can be spotted in Southern California as they make their...

September 26, 2022

Scent of a Human: What Draws Mosquitoes to People's Skin

The pesky insects may be attracted to a chemical cocktail of odors emanating from the skin, according to a new study. The draw is a combination of carbon dioxide plus two chemicals, 2-ketoglutaric and lactic acid, researchers said. The chemical...

September 02, 2022

The scent that could save California’s avocados

UC Riverside scientists are on the hunt for a chemical that disrupts “evil” weevils’ mating and could prevent them from destroying California’s supply of avocados.

More news

The UC Riverside Entomology department provides outreach to educate members of our community about insects and the science of Entomology. Our outreach program consists of various extracurricular activities performed by current graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of Entomology at UC Riverside. Outreach ranges from speaking in K-12 classrooms, to participating in science fairs, to attending community gatherings. We bring both live and preserved insects and other arthropods for people to see and touch. We have presentations on a variety of topics including insect diversity, metamorphosis, and what entomologist do. We can also modify a presentation to suit your group's needs.

Entomology Outreach Outreach Instagram

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UCR Entomology is consistently ranked as one of the top programs for insect science in the world! We conduct research to protect plant crops, animals, and public health from harmful insects and related organisms, as well as research to appreciate the diversity of insect life and the role of insects in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. We invite you to join us as a student, a colleague, or a supporter by exploring our website or contacting the department for more information.

UCR Entomology