MADRE DE DIOS RIVER, Peru — It is one of our last collection nights in the Tambopata National Reserve in southeastern Peru and we are setting up light traps on a dock near our field station in the Amazon rainforest. The white light works like a false moon: insects fly toward it, and...
The first lesson Marianne Alleyne learned from working with engineers had nothing to do with insects.It had to do with language."Actually doing interdisciplinary research or transdisciplinary research is really difficult," said Alleyne, a professor of...
SIB is proud to share that Professor Xuguo "Joe" Zhou, the C. W. Kearns, C. L. Metcalf, and W. P. Flint Endowed Chair in Entomology, has been named one of nine distinguished entomologists honored as 2026 Fellows of the Entomological Society of America (ESA). This recognition highlights...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Honey bee larvae lack the sophisticated olfactory capabilities of adult honey bees, a new study finds. Scientists point to this temporary loss-of-function as a side effect of the nurse bees’ heroic level of brood care, calling it a consequence of social evolution.The new findings...
In a recent publication with The Conversation, Entomology Associate Professor Ester Ngumbi reveals groundbreaking insights into the hidden costs of fertilizer use. While fertilizers are vital for crop production, Ngumbi highlights how excessive use can damage essential soil microbes that underpin...
The value of basic science into insect biology is no more evident than when a crisis arises involving a devastating insect pest like the New World screwworm, says University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign entomology professor and...
Entomology professor Esther Ngumbi became interested in the chemical communication between plants and insects when she was growing up on her family’s farm in Kenya.“Halfway through the growing season, I would actually watch a lot...
The College of LAS is where curiosity drives impact, and the new Curiosity to Impact (C2I) Fund helps faculty members to do exactly that.Announced in fall of 2025, the C2I Fund is part of the college’s Strategic Investment Program....
Over the past several years, Dr. Esther Ngumbi has been diligently working to bring science to the public. She has become a standout figure in science communication—writing for national outlets, mentoring young scientists, and advocating...
