Annual meeting of the Swiss Entomological Society

From May 20 to May 21, 2022, the entomo.ch, the annual meeting of the Swiss Entomological Society (SEG) took place in the canton of Tessin. Not only members of the SEG but also numerous guests from Switzerland, Italy and Germany, including two employees of the Chair of Forest Protection, took part in the meeting at the Museo Cantonale Di Storia Naturale di Lugano.

After an introductory presentation on "The role of insects in the forest ecosystem" by Beat Wermelinger versatile talks on the subject of forest insect and invasive insect species were given within two scientific sessions. Anna Lawall and Elisabeth Spann from the Chair of Forest Protection gave insights in their research projects, IPSolut and EIVES, and their current focus on the biological control of Ips typographus by means of artifically bred parasitoid hymenopterans.

Presentations by members of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, the universities of Zurich, Bern and Padua, the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, Agroscope and many other participating institutions offered an exciting overview of their current research, which included the occurrence of different insect groups in Switzerland and Europe as well as the monitoring, risk potential and possible countermeasures regarding invasive species in forestry, agriculture and urban areas. Breaks between presentations and the time during the social program were used to vividly discuss all topics presented, to debate new approaches and establish options for interdisciplinary connections. We thank the SEG for giving us the opportunity to take part in their meeting, their warm welcome and their perfect organisation of the event! We look forward to staying in contact!