K-State Department of Entomology

K-State Department of Entomology We provide entomological knowledge for safe, sustainable, and competitive food, feed, and fiber systems through integrated research and education 🐛

Got bugs?

Check out our Insect Diagnostic Program at http://entomology.ksu.edu/id

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Not your average classroom 🪲 Dr. Z took his ENTOM 695/895 Taxonomy class outside for hands-on learning about insects whi...
09/01/2026

Not your average classroom 🪲 Dr. Z took his ENTOM 695/895 Taxonomy class outside for hands-on learning about insects while collecting at Wildcat Park.

Photos provided by Dr. Z aka Greg Zolnerowich, Entomology Professor and Director of Graduate Programs

Big ideas start with strong partnerships.Team Aqualoop earned second place and $100,000 in seed funding for their innova...
08/28/2026

Big ideas start with strong partnerships.

Team Aqualoop earned second place and $100,000 in seed funding for their innovative approach to improving water efficiency and reuse in agricultural and food production systems.

The project brings together expertise in chemistry, entomology, grain and food science, finance and public relations, the team is exploring ways to transform agricultural waste into valuable products that can help purify water and reduce environmental impacts.

A key component of the project is insect farming, which will support the development of new products ranging from feed to fertilizers. This project exemplifies how the Insect Farming Initiative is already advancing research and innovation in this growing field.

For Research Professor and Initiative Director Christos Athanassiou, the project demonstrates the power of connecting science with communication and public engagement.

"Scientists can communicate our results, but what this group can do is create public awareness," Athanassiou said.

Congratulations to the entire Aqualoop team on this exciting recognition and investment in the future of sustainable agriculture and water stewardship.

Come to the upcoming Promotion Seminar covering "Protecting the Herd: Managing Biting Flies and Tick-Borne Pathogen Risk...
08/27/2026

Come to the upcoming Promotion Seminar covering "Protecting the Herd: Managing Biting Flies and Tick-Borne Pathogen Risks in Kansas Cattle." Presented by Cassandra Olds, Assistant Professor at Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, it will start at 2:30 PM in Waters Hall 231. For the full schedule, go to http://entomology.ksu.edu/seminar/!

For many, longer days and warmer weather mean more time outside. Whether hitting the trails or spending evenings in the ...
08/27/2026

For many, longer days and warmer weather mean more time outside. Whether hitting the trails or spending evenings in the backyard, extra hours outdoors have plenty of benefits. They also welcome unwanted visitors: ticks.

A little knowledge can go a long way toward staying prepared and staying safe during the height of tick season. Cassandra Olds shares what you should know.

Read more https://www.k-state.edu/news/articles/2026/08/tick-questions-do-they-jump-fly-how-to-check-remove.html

We have an upcoming webinar covering "Novel Insights in Insect Farming: From Regulatory Updates to Neglected Edible Spec...
08/26/2026

We have an upcoming webinar covering "Novel Insights in Insect Farming: From Regulatory Updates to Neglected Edible Species" with two guest speakers: Independent Consultant Ian Banks, PhD and Post-doctoral Researcher Georgia V. Baliota.

Read more about the speakers and their sessions at k-state.edu/insectfarming!

Expect the unexpected 🐛 From Emily Sur in the McLab at Kansas State University 🌱She's currently working on the Insect Ea...
08/26/2026

Expect the unexpected 🐛 From Emily Sur in the McLab at Kansas State University 🌱She's currently working on the Insect Eavesdropper project in collaboration with Emily Bick's Lab at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research centers around using audio as method of early pest detection in crop systems.

Kansas State University Graduate School | K-State College of Agriculture

Meet Allison Mehnert, an undergraduate student working at the USDA in Dr. Rob Morrison's Lab. For the past year, her mai...
08/24/2026

Meet Allison Mehnert, an undergraduate student working at the USDA in Dr. Rob Morrison's Lab. For the past year, her main project has been studying yellow mealworms by testing how cold temperatures need to get before the mealworms stop moving around. At work, she is always ready to lend a helping hand to others in her lab.

Allison chose this work because she wants to find pest management methods that are safe and sustainable. "On top of that, I’m a pre-vet student with an interest in animal health entomology, so I thought it would be interesting to work with pests and understand their impact, as well as help determine how they can be managed effectively," she explained.

In the lab, she is getting hands-on experience testing all kinds of methods. "We test all sorts of things, from pesticides to pheromones to temperature in order to determine the most effective ways to protect stored product," Allison said.

Welcome, Wildcat-erpillars 🐛 We welcomed new undergrads at lunch today 💜 Best wishes on your Fall semester!S/o to Susan ...
08/21/2026

Welcome, Wildcat-erpillars 🐛 We welcomed new undergrads at lunch today 💜 Best wishes on your Fall semester!

S/o to Susan Austin Marshall and Kansas Marshall for organizing this event and always putting undergrad student success first 💜 Don’t be shy and email Susan if you ever need help

On , learn how mealworm waste can be used to minimize mosquitoes 🦟One way to tackle mosquitoes is the Sterile Insect Te...
08/21/2026

On , learn how mealworm waste can be used to minimize mosquitoes 🦟

One way to tackle mosquitoes is the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), where labs raise sterile mosquitoes and release them to stop wild populations from growing. To make SIT work on a large scale, millions of mosquitoes must be raised quickly and cheaply.

To make raising mosquitoes more efficient, researchers from the Insect Farming Initiative (IFI) and the Integrated Molecular Entomology Core (IMEC) at Kansas State University are testing yellow mealworm frass as a food source for baby mosquitoes (larvae).

In their study, they found that mealworm frass works just as well as standard algae powder, helps mosquitoes grow faster, and costs much less. Plus, using insect farming waste instead of buying new ingredients saves money and protects our environment by reducing overall waste 🌿

By turning insect waste into mosquito food, our scientists are discovering efficient ways to protect public health! This research was presented as a poster at the 2026 College of Ag Research and Extension Experience for Undergraduates Poster Symposium by entomology major Audrey Empkey. In addition, the scope of this research continues to expand as more variations of mealworm products are being tested for efficacy as larval diet for lab-raised mosquitoes.

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123 Waters Hall
Manhattan, KS
66506

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Thursday 8am - 5pm
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