Museum displays insect species

ISPARTA

Established 21 years ago at the Isparta University of Applied Sciences, the Insect Museum is home to 30,000 insects of various species brought from different provinces.

Professor Recep Ay stated that new insect species are also identified in the museum and brought to the scientific world, adding, “1,200 species of 100 families belonging to 11 orders have been identified in the Insect Museum.”

The museum, which was established in 2002 by students and academicians at the Department of Plant Protection of the Faculty of Agriculture, has grown over the years with the identification of many insect species. In the museum, where various types of insects brought from different regions of Türkiye are examined, newly identified insect species are presented to the scientific world. Also contributing to the practical education of the students in the faculty, the museum especially contributes to the recognition of insects by kindergarten students.

Ay said that they have been collecting insect samples for years and trying to enlarge the museum. He said that the museum was established with the aim of revealing the insect diversity in Türkiye and transferring it to future generations, and continued:

“Another purpose of the museum is to contribute to our students in practical education; to enable them to get to know insects better and make the right decision while doing their job. Our insects are an important living group for the country and the world. Some of them are harmful to agricultural products, 90 percent of them are not harmful to humans. We have so far identified 1,200 species of 100 families belonging to 11 orders in the museum. We have 30,000 insect samples. Identifications are still ongoing.”

Stating that the number of insect species beneficial for ecology is very high, Ay said, “Insects are the garbage collectors of the world. Without them, our world will be polluted. Insects are the organisms that clean the world. When you have something with a bad smell around you, insects immediately go to it. In this way, we get rid of the bad smell.”

Ay also noted that the Insect Museum was the second museum included in the “International Insect and Mite Collections” list in 2005 and was recognized as the “Entomological Museum of Isparta, Türkiye [EMIT]” internationally.