By Dr TP Rajendran Dr Kamalakar Krishna Kshirsagar is well known in our country as an eminent Honeybee researcher. His multi-faceted professional life and career have been of immense influence on the youth of his times and even now too. Born on 17th September 1931 in Saswad village, Pune district, Maharashtra, his early education was in various rural Primary Schools. His higher secondary and college education were in Pune. He is a Zoology postgraduate and successfully received his Doctoral Degree on ‘Comparative studies of Indian Honeybees’ from Pune University. He began his career as D ..read more

By Rahul Kumar In 1973, history was created when three ethologists Karl von Frisch, Konrad Lorenz, and Nikolaas Tinbergen were awarded Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries about the organization and elicitation of individual and social behavior patterns. It was the first time that someone received a Nobel Prize for studying animal behaviour. They mostly published in German. Textbooks on animal behaviour got flooded with German jargons, for example, terms like Prägung, Rundtanz, Schwänzeltanz, Ausdrucksbewegungen, jugunruhe, etc. are still in use. Their discover ..read more

By Shashank PR and Sagar D To recognize and celebrate the exceptional contributions of Indian scientists in the field of Entomology, the Executive Committee of the Entomological Society of India (ESI) has officially announced the ESI Senior Entomologist and ESI Young Entomologist Awards for the year 2022. Additionally, the ESI Best Teacher Award for 2022 has been introduced. Established in 1938, the Entomological Society of India stands as one of the oldest and largest scientific societies in the country, with a primary objective of promoting the dissemination of entomological knowledge and ac ..read more

By Rahul Kumar January 2024 marks the completion of four years of Indian Entomologist. The magazine was conceptualized in 2019 and the first issue was published in January 2020. Till date, eight wonderful issues of Indian Entomologist have been successfully published between January 2020 and July 2023. The primary goal of Indian Entomologist is to create a unified platform for scientists, researchers, hobbyists, students, and the general public interested in science and Entomology. The magazine covers a wide range of topics that are relevant to entomologists, research scholars interested in in ..read more

By Sagar D and Rahul Kumar In order to honour and celebrate the outstanding contributions of Indian scientists in the area of Entomology, the Executive Committee of the Entomological Society of India (ESI) has advertised ESI Senior Entomologist and ESI Young Entomologist Awards for the year 2021. Along with these two awards, ESI Best Ph.D. Thesis Award for the year 2021 was also announced. Entomological Society of India was founded in 1938, it is one of the oldest and the largest scientific societies in India. The main objective of Society is to encourage and promote the dissemination of entom ..read more

By Pritha Dey On its eleventh year, National Moth Week (NMW), a global citizen-science programme has put a spotlight on documenting the early stages of the moth life cycle. This is an annual event which brings moth-ers of all ages to participate in a celebration of moth diversity across the globe. NMW, in collaboration with iNaturewatch has launched a nationwide programme this year, which will include schoolchildren to document moth life cycle as part of a short three-month long project. Schoolchildren will have a chance to be citizen-scientist! Myself, V. Shubhalaxmi and Vijay Barve form the ..read more

By Rahul Kumar Insects are the most important pollinators. Pollination is directly linked to food security. Pollination is essential for sexual reproduction and the generation of genetic variability in most angiosperms. Most studies revolve around diurnal insect pollinators. Studies pertaining to nocturnal pollinators are limited. Diurnal pollinators are considered more significant pollinators. A study conducted by a group of Indian scientists highlights the importance of nocturnal pollinators and emphasizes that nocturnal pollinators can also be significant pollinators. This study was recentl ..read more

By Rahul Kumar Insects play many important roles in the ecosystem. Insect-plant interaction is one of the most imperative areas of modern research which has both ecological and economic significance. Approximately half of the living insects are herbivores and mostly primary consumers. Caterpillar is an immature stage of order Lepidoptera, which are important folivores with a voracious appetite. Their feeding behaviour involves chewing and ingesting plant tissue which results in marked visible damage to plants. Only two fossil caterpillars have been reported to date. A recent collaborative work ..read more

By Rahul Kumar Recently, I got an opportunity to meet a forest department employee Mr. Mirtunjay Sharma, who is also a “Limca Book of Records” record holder hobbyist entomologist, naturalist and conservationist from the state of Jharkhand. He is famously known as Insect Man of Jharkhand for his passionate interest in insects and often appears in various newspapers and television for his unique findings in the forests of Jharkhand. Interestingly, though he doesn’t hold any professional degree in entomology, still he is able to precisely recognize insects and spiders even up to species levels. H ..read more

P.R. Shashank My experience of learning about acarology (study of mites and ticks) during my doctoral course inspired me to write this blog. I still remember numerous hours when we looked through the microscope to identify mites during our practical classes. In this regard, I must recall Dr. C. Chinnamadegowda, Professor of Entomology at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore who used to take these classes with unmatched patience and constant dedication. Only six of us had opted for the “Advances in Acarology” course during 2010, and Dr. Gowda divided our practical class into two s ..read more