Our scientists are conserving the Museum's vast insect collection, collecting and identifying new species and utilizing the collections for cutting edge entomological research.
News from the group
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British wildlifeNight life: how to spot insects in the dark
What nocturnal insects will you find where you live?
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What on Earth?Flies are saving your chocolate cravings
Bees' pollinating prowess often overshadows many of the insects working just as hard as them.
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Biodiversity
Flies: The compelling case for why they’re actually fabulous
Did you know that there are more species of fly in the UK than there are mammals on the planet? And they perform some pretty important jobs.
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News'Monstrous' wasps could reveal their species' secrets
Scientists have identified three new species of parasitoid wasp - including two that previously lay undescribed in the Museum's collections.
9 December 2016
Our research
Darwin Tree of Life project
Generating DNA barcodes and sequencing the full genomes of all animals, plants and fungi within the British Isles.
Bumblebee specialist group
Assessing bumblebee species worldwide for the Red List of Threatened Species
Commercial bumblebee research
Isolating cryptic species in the most important group of commercial bumblebees.
Manual of Afrotropical Diptera
Identifying families and genera of two-winged flies of the continental Afrotropical region.
Noctuoidea phylogenetics
Resolving the higher level classification of Noctuoidea
Sphingidae research
Understanding the Sphingidae family through both morphological and DNA analysis, and providing an online taxonomy resource, the Sphingidae Taxonomic Inventory
Read more
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AnthropoceneEat insects, save the world
Insects aren't just an unusual accompaniment to wine - eating them could help sustain Earth's booming population.
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AnthropoceneThe world's insect populations are plummeting everywhere we look
Crashing numbers will have serious implications on our future.
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In search of new species in wild Colombia
Join Dr Blanca Huertas as she travels to remote Colombia to study butterflies and moths.
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British wildlifeDiamondback moths: an epic journey
Miniscule moths are using the power of wind to soar over oceans and continents.
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NewsNew bee species breeding in Britain
A bee species more commonly found in continental Europe has been spotted in Britain for the first time.
17 October 2016 -
NewsButterflies emerging earlier due to rising temperatures
More than 90% of British butterflies emerge earlier in years with a warm spring or summer - potentially too early for the plants they eat.
8 December 2016 -
What on Earth?Dangerous beauties: the world's tiniest insects
Magnified images reveal the beauty of these tiny wasps, but mask their gruesome nature.
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Science newsAlmost half of butterfly species in Singapore have disappeared
Singapore is losing its butterflies as forests decline and building programmes boom.
22 January 2020
