WELCOME TO THE MAINE
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY HOME PAGE!
Up and running since 30 May, 2000

Time is running out!
Register NOW for the Minor Order Blitz at
Acadia National Park, August 7-10
(More information may be found below.)
Advance registration deadline is July 10th!
Download a registration form (pdf) by clicking here.

Click HERE to read about and check out the videos made on LAST year's Hemiptera (true bug) blitz!

The Maine Entomological Society was established by a group of insect and arachnid enthusiasts in 1997, and now has a total membership of approximately 140 individuals and groups. The Maine Entomologist, our quarterly newsletter, usually consists of 8-10 pages of Society news and entomological information. The annual meeting is held each fall, and we usually have a mid-winter workshop . Additional get-togethers and collecting trips are scheduled monthly when possible during the late spring, summer, and early fall. All these are announced in advance both here and in the newsletter.

(Click on any image below for an enlarged version.)

A bumblebee, Bombus sp.,
is caught in mid-flight as it comes to a rose in Chuck Peters' garden in New Gloucester
May, 2007
(Chuck Peters photo)
A leaf beetle, Donacia sp.
which feeds on water lilies.
(length: 10-12 mm)
(Chuck Peters photo)
Click here for the Photo Archive web page.

MES members, young and old,
gather around during a
collecting trip in the
2000 season in coastal Maine.
Photo by Laura Lubelczyk.
(Click on the image for an enlargement!)
Membership in the Maine Entomological Society is open to anyone, whether or not a Maine resident, who has interest in the insects or terrestrial arthropods of Maine. Persons desiring to become members should contact the Treasurer, Mr. Dana Michaud, whose mailing address appears in the table of officers below. (Click here to download an MES application (as a pdf document - Adobe Acrobat Reader may be downloaded, if necessary, through a link below), or here to get an on-line printable application.) Dues are $10 per year, and may be paid up to two years in advance; dues entitle members to receive the newsletter and participate in all Society functions. Checks should be made payable to "The Maine Entomological Society" and mailed to the Treasurer. Due to increasing costs of printing and mailing the Newsletters, members more than one year in arrears for dues will be dropped from the membership list.

The Constitution and Bylaws pages (links below) are formatted in HTML, but may be downloaded in Microsoft Word from the respective pages if one desires a hard copy.

We hope to have links to a whole host of entomological sites coming along, and hope to contribute meaningfully to the knowledge of insects and terrestrial arthropods as well, while having a lot of fun doing it. Meanwhile, we invite anyone and everyone to explore freely, and watch us grow! Our logo, featuring the wasp Dipogon sayi Banks, was designed by Monica Russo, Hymenopterist, artist and author extraordinaire, one of the founding members of the Society.

M. E. S. EVENT and COLLECTING
TRIP SCHEDULE FOR 2009!
Plans are coming together now for a number of MES events and collecting trips throughout the coming year. What's shown below are those currently scheduled, most of which will also be found on the M.E.S. Calendar. Additional information on these field days, and any new collecting trips and events, will be posted both here and in the newsletter as soon as we know about them!

Saturday, January 17, 2009 - Once again the Maine Forest Service Entomology Laboratory opened its doors to the Maine Entomological Society for a Winter Workshop. The focus of the workshop was the Minor Orders (e.g., Collembola, Thysanura, Orthoptera, etc.).


MES members listen to Don Chandler at the Winter Workshop in Augusta in January, 2008.
(Photo by Charlene Donahue)
The workshop was packed to overflowing. Dr. Don Chandler from the University of New Hampshire led the hands-on workshop, and once again presented a meticulously organized and well-illustrated discussion of the groups at hand, with identification guides distributed to all participants. A number of microscopes were set up, and trays of representative specimens from each group were distributed so everyone could follow the presentation by observing the features discussed on real specimens.

The workshop has almost become the watershed winter event for some people - making us ALL wish for a rapid approach of spring. Thanks again, Don!

Saturday, 23 May, 2009 - Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve at Laudholm Farm (York County).

Numerous M.E.S. members took advantage of a very special opportunity to visit a salt marsh environment and experience the unique insect fauna of this habitat. We also had a chance to see nesting areas of several species of fossorial wasps. Fields and wooded areas are also present at the reserve, and allowed for a variety of collecting possibilities.

Thanks to the Woos (Domenica, Brandon and Sonny) for organizing a marvelous day in the field!


Saturday, 20 June, 2009 - Rangeley Area (Franklin County). Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances beyond our control have intervened, and this field day must be CANCELLED.

Saturday, 18 July, 2009 - Smithfield (Kennebec County). [Previously planned for Augusta.] Our third M.E.S. field day of the season. The Maine Forest Service will be hosting a field day on Saturday, July 18 in Smithfield. We will meet at 10 a.m. at the gravel pit just south of town on Route 8/137 (just ask Dave and Dana how good the collecting is in a gravel pit). In addition to collecting, those who come will be able to participate in a hands-on demonstration of biosurveillance with Cerceris fumipennis, the wasp that hunts emerald ash borer.

If you are coming from I95, take exit 127 west. Follow Rte 137 until it intersects with Rte 8. Then follow 8/137 north for about 3 miles until you see a gravel pit on each side of the road. If you reach the village, you've gone just a few yards too far. See you there.

7-10 August, 2009 - Seventh Annual A.N.P./M.E.S. BioBlitz, Schoodic Point, Acadia National Park (Hancock County). The focus this year (as noted in the Winter Workshop notice above) will be on minor orders - many of which are represented by but a handful of Maine species. Collembola and Orthoptera are the most diverse, but Thysanura, Diplura, Strepsiptera, Dermaptera, and others may be found by close observation and diligent searching. Many Orthoptera will be out as mature adults at this time of year, enhancing the potential for major collecting success. See the May issue of The Maine Entomologist for more specific information.

12 September, 2009 - Annual Meeting, Clinton (Kennebec County). Bob and Nettie Nelson will be hosting the Annual Meeting at Rock Ridge on the Battle Ridge Road in Clinton.

16 September, 2009 - Bug Maine-ia at the Maine State Museum, 230 State Street, Augusta, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. No admission or program charge for school groups!

The MES can only appeal to a wide variety of members if officers and board members are made aware of your opinions. Please let us know what you think and would like to see us doing!

Further information on all scheduled meetings and trips will be posted as arrangements are made and confirmed!


2009 OFFICERS OF THE MAINE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY
President
Charlene Donahue Maine Forest Service
Insect and Disease Laboratory 		Location address:
50 Hospital Street
Augusta, Maine 		Mailing address:
168 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0168
Contact the President for changes of address, general information, etc.
E-mail address: Charlene.Donahue@maine.gov
Telephone: 207-287-3244
Vice-President
Karen Hopkins 21 Division Street
Apt. 2 		Bangor, ME 04401 e-mail:
mothy_77@yahoo.com
Treasurer
(Mr.) Dana Michaud 3 Halde Street Waterville, ME 04901
.
Newsletter Editor
Bob Nelson Dept. of Geology
Colby College
5804 Mayflower Hill 		Waterville, ME 04901-8858 e-mail:
BeetleBob2003@yahoo.com
Member-At-Large of the
Executive Committee
Brandon Woo . . e-mail:
dvacca6@roadrunner.com
Member-At-Large of the
Executive Committee
David Bourque 323 Augusta Road Winslow, ME 04901 e-mail:
djbourq@adelphia.net


Information & Links



The MES web pages are maintained by R. E. Nelson (renelson@colby.edu). Please e-mail any questions,
comments or suggestions you may have, especially if you encounter difficulties.

Image Map



You are visitor number to the Maine Entomological Society Home Page since May 30, 2000.

Entire contents copyright © 2009 by the Maine Entomological Society, except as noted.
[ This page last modified on 30 June, 2009. ]