Interested in insects and entomology?

Entomology is the study of insects and many universities have an Entomology Department which provides us with knowledge about the insects found all over the world. Whether you are a teacher looking for ways to make the subject interesting for your students, someone that just loves learning about insects or wanting to make a career out of this interesting subject, you will find the following ten websites useful. They are listed in order of their Alexa traffic count rating, but if first couple of sites ‘bug’ you, then feel free to move on down to others on the list.

1. Cornell University Dept. of Entomology: http://entomology.cals.cornell.edu/

Global Alexa Rating: 2,946

This site is full of interesting articles and news about the world of insects. There are three things that you may find interesting on this site in addition to the articles – a link offering 10 top reasons for studying bugs, a link to discover what entomology is all about as a science and career, and a link to their Insect Diagnostic lab where you can do your own research to help determine what an insect you have found is or have them help you. A very useful site with an incredible amount of information.

2. Texas A&M University Dept. of Entomology: https://insects.tamu.edu/extension/insctans/

Global Alexa Rating: 9,335

This is another university with a very popular entomology department. The site includes plenty of insect answers including publications, common Texas insects, insect identification, diagnosing and managing pest problems, FAQ about insects and information on specific insects such as fire ants, honey bees and termites. They have extension programs and research programs as well as information about scholarships.

3. Iowa State University Dept. of Entomology: http://www.ent.iastate.edu/

Global Alexa Rating: 13,325

Iowa University was the very first university to offer an entomology course back in 1880. Their insect ID section is very comprehensive with information on an amazing number of insect topics. You can look up information on both indoor pests such as ants, spiders, cockroaches and wood destroying pests and outdoor insects such as beetles, bees and centipedes. They also have an insect zoo that you can visit if you are in the area.

4. Natural History Museum: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/insects-spiders/

Global Alexa Rating: 48,046

There are a number of features on this section of the National History Museum website that you might enjoy including a bug forum, common insects and spiders section, collecting and conserving information, identification guides and more. The section on common insects includes photos, information and a PDF that can be downloaded. While this site is not as comprehensive as other sites, it is a nice resource about common insects.

5. Bug Guide: http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740

Global Alexa Rating: 56,295

This site is an online community of naturalists who enjoy learning about and sharing their observations of insects, spiders and other related creatures. The site is hosted by the Iowa State University Entomology where there is also a link to this site. The site is full of rich, beautiful photographs of bugs from the United States and Canada. You’ll find guide pages for each order, family, genus and species.

6. Insect Identification.Org: http://www.insectidentification.org/

Global Alexa Rating: 114,868

This is a marvelous website for identifying insects. Insects are categorized for researching about particular types or you can use their Bugfinder to search their database. Using the database is easy – you select primary color, secondary color, number of legs and the state/province in which you found the insect. The site is full of color photos of the many types of insects in their database making it easy to identify what you have.

7. Entomology Society of America: http://www.entsoc.org/home

Global Alexa Rating: 1,249,394

If you truly have a deep passion for entomology, an ideal way to advance your knowledge would be to join this society founded in 1889. They currently have nearly 7,000 members that include researchers, teachers, students, pest management professionals and hobbyists. There are many benefits of membership including free online access to an expansive library of entomological research including journals archived back to the early 1900’s. Members also receive a subscription to American Entomologist, their quarterly glossy magazine.

8. Buglife: http://www.buglife.org.uk/

Global Alexa Rating: 1,276,079

Buglife is devoted to saving the small things that run the planet. The site is full of information on bugs and their habitats. The site also includes a UK bug map for recording your sightings, a bug identifier and bug facts. On the main page you will find a bug of the month in which a specific bug is explained in detail. The site includes news & events as well as advice & publications.

9. Insect Geeks: http://www.insectgeeks.com/

Global Alexa Rating: 1,748,939

Insect Geeks is all about the insect enthusiast from the amateur hobbyist to the professional curator. There is information about lots of insect species and the ability to meet others with your same interest. You can also browse the classifieds. This site is unique in the ability to connect with others and that it also has videos instead of just photos. There are also plenty of blogs to read. Enjoy the fun stuff also like polls and quizzes. Enjoy the site as a guest, or sign up to be able to post and communicate with others.

10. Insects.Org: http://www.insects.org/

Global Alexa Rating: 1,776,678

This site aims to help you really see insects for the miniature marvels they represent and to understand how intertwined our cultures have become with these alien creatures.  The site is broken down into three areas – entophiles, class: insecta and CE digest. The entophiles section is used to view stunning insect macrophotography with informative descriptions. The class: insecta section is used to find useful educational resources. The CE digest section is for reading articles about how insects play a major role in almost every aspect of human culture. You’ll enjoy the bug of the week section as well.

Hopefully you are not too bugged out after reviewing these ten great websites about insects and entomology! Many of these can be a great way to get children involved in learning about insects and why they are so very important to our world. Perhaps you’ll even feel a bit less bugged by them if you know more about them (pun intended!)