With over 35 million specimens housed
in
more
than
132,354 drawers,
33,000
jars or vials, and
23,000
slides
in
more
than
5,200 cabinets, the
National Insect Collection
is one of the largest
entomological
collections
in the world.
Specimens and their associated
data
are used
as the basis for
original
scientific research on
the
nature,
inter-relationships, origin,
and
evolution
of insects and their
allies. The
large holdings of
medically
and agriculturally
important species
make parts
of
the collection
especially
significant as sources of
systematic
research and
identification of insect
pests.
The Department of
Entomology
at the
National Museum
includes
research
scientists
and museum
specialists
from
the
Smithsonian
Institution
as
well as
the U.S.D.A.
Systematic
Entomology Lab and
the
Walter
Reed Biosystematics
Unit
of
the
Department
of
Defense
(links
at left).
Cooperation between these affiliated agencies is directed toward the common objective of developing the National Entomological Collections for research and reference.
The History of the United States
Entomological Collections, from
their beginnings in the mid-1800s
until the mid-1970s, was published for members of the XV International Congress of Entomology and is here available as a PDF (4MB). Plans are currently underway to
update this important document.
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