When I was a BSc student (almost a yer ago), I wasn't able to identify insect species until I started my own collection. I think that some of my classmates at that time, now are not fully able to distinguish some taxa, even to order level. This may be due to the lack of contact with real specimens of the entomofauna, but just some class notes and photos in a presentation.

In my opinion, being able to identify some important taxa is a key factor that every biologist should dominate (not only insects, but also vertebrates and plants). So, I think that preparing an entomological collection could be a good approach to understand better the biodiversity of a certain region.

Moreover, this practice could be a fresh source of information for chorological and ecological studies. Also, some new species could be discovered by the students. For example, in the Canary Islands, Tarphius oromii (Coleoptera, Zopheridae) was caught for the first time by a BSc student and then, described as a new species.

Synthesizing, from my student perspective, entomological collections may help us to learn about our biodiversiy and to fix the knowledge we have been taught in class.

Dear Andràs,

I can say that here at the Catholic University in Piacenza the students of Agricultural Entomology must prepare for the examination an entomological box with insects and damage. Maybe somebody exchanges samples, maybe someone buys them. However, I think that in general the preparation of the entomological box is useful for learning to recognize a bit better insects. Cordially,

Rinaldo

Yes.

1) Everyone has a different learning style.

2) Making a collection does several things. It makes students pay attention to small details. "They are all just bugs" is a stupid phrase that I hear now and again. Telling the difference between an ant and a termite or a wood roach versus a German cockroach makes all the difference. How are they different? Why are they different? Without the experience of making a collection and identifying specimens all you have are dead words on a page that are easily forgotten.    Some tasks are easy using a book. There is an 8-legged bug on my window. Ok, insects have 6 legs, so this must be a spider. Get the insecticide and be done with it.

3) Understanding the world around you might help you appreciate it more. How does insect morphology relate to function?

4) Keys help students break a problem down into simple choices.

The writing component is also critical. It forces students to organize thoughts into a cohesive argument. It helps prepare some for jobs in research and development, journalism, teaching, or a simple task of writing an instruction manual to help new hires at Bob's Pest Control learn what they need to know in order to be good employees.

When I was a BSc student (almost a yer ago), I wasn't able to identify insect species until I started my own collection. I think that some of my classmates at that time, now are not fully able to distinguish some taxa, even to order level. This may be due to the lack of contact with real specimens of the entomofauna, but just some class notes and photos in a presentation.

In my opinion, being able to identify some important taxa is a key factor that every biologist should dominate (not only insects, but also vertebrates and plants). So, I think that preparing an entomological collection could be a good approach to understand better the biodiversity of a certain region.

Moreover, this practice could be a fresh source of information for chorological and ecological studies. Also, some new species could be discovered by the students. For example, in the Canary Islands, Tarphius oromii (Coleoptera, Zopheridae) was caught for the first time by a BSc student and then, described as a new species.

Synthesizing, from my student perspective, entomological collections may help us to learn about our biodiversiy and to fix the knowledge we have been taught in class.

Dear Rinaldo, Timothy and Daniel,

I have been glad reading your answers. Indeed. I believe, it is indispensable to prepare insect and pest symptom collections during entomology courses. Without these independent identification tasks and practice, theoretical entomology knowledge may be somehow uncertain.  At our faculty I teach 4 entomology courses for MSc students: agricultural entomology I, agricultural entomology II, detailed agricultural entomology I and detailed agricultural entomology II.  Students should submit 25 prepared insects or original digital photos of 25 insects or mites (pests or natural enemies) and 25 pest symptoms on crops in form of herbarium or digital photos in each semester. I mark these collections and the results are considered in the grade. Without submitting these collections the student cannot get my signature that is they cannot make entomology examination. Unfortunately, some university teachers and bosses did not understand the importance of such collections as well as of the regular reports, so in case of the BSc entomology course both have been ceased by the timely teacher, the department head and the dean. I have tried to protest against their decisions but in vain.

How is the situation at your universities?   

B.S.: Entomology department is alive and well

M.S. Entomology merged with plant sciences

Ph.D. Entomology merged with several departments

Entomology at three universities where I did post-doc are surviving or doing well.

Dear Timothy,

Thanks for your information. I wandered the conditions and the regulation of making collections and the consideration of this performance in the grading at your university. At our faculty entomology, plant pathology, weed science and crop protection technology are merged in one department, and the boss is a plant pathologist.

Dear Aparna,

Not entomology is merged but only the department. There is a crop protection department, teachers of which deliver entomology, plant pathology etc. I teach entomology as a particular and independent subject. 

There are some advantages to not having too many different departments. However, the subjects should not be merged at the class level. There should be an entomology class and a plant pathology class and a weed science class.

Try this fun game: collect 5 species of wasp, and 25 wasp mimics. Place them in random order. Can the students place them into the correct order? If you think this is mean, try this: I was at home yesterday and I saw a small insect crawling on the wall in my kitchen. Is this a pantry pest, or just some random insect that happened to be in my house?        The point is, that there are so many insects that look similar that you can't learn them all in half an hour (or one semester, or one year). In both mycology and botany we went to species. In entomology we went to family. The entomologists are not lazy. It is just the number of species of insects is unmanageable for the average person even on local level.

A big school will have several entomology classes where a collection is expected.

1) Introductory entomology (identify to order, and some to species: maybe five).

2) Applied entomology (a collection of economically important insects) Might have 10 to 20 to species in a collection of 100 specimens.

3) Might have specializations (forest entomology, field crop entomology, urban entomology). These might have more to species, but mostly it is still to family.

4) Systematic entomology (identify to family)

5) Immature insects (identify to family, but immature forms only)

6) Aquatic entomology (collection of adults and larvae identified to family.)

7) There might be special courses as well. I had a great class taught by Phil Ward at UC Davis where we lived on a remote field station for 10 weeks and did almost nothing except collect and identify insects. The goal was 1000 specimens in 200 families. This is a huge collection relative to what can be expected in a regular class. The class also had a small ecology project that had a written report.

With limited resources in a department, maybe the real question is what are the students expecting that they can do after taking classes in your department, and is your department meeting those expectations? Do students in your department get the job they were after, and do they feel that your department adequately prepared them for the challenges they faced after graduation?

Yes

May be a good idea would be to have institutional collection with can be used for learning / training purpose? This will limit the number of killed animals, because sometimes (from my personal experience) students do not care much about the conditions of the collection, labeling and storing them, etc.

Dear Dimitry,

I think all students collecting intensively insects cannot even approach 0.1% of killings by spraying with insecticides.  Over 95% of my students take digital photos on insects as their collection.