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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Department of Entomology

Department of Entomology

Hymenoptera Collection

Ants, Bees, Wasps & Sawflies

The Hymenoptera Collection consists of about three million specimens including over 15,000 holotypes. More than 7,000 drawers house the pinned specimens and approximately 10,000 glass vials contain the preserved larvae and adults in alcohol.

The collection represents about 15% of the total entomological collections in the department, and is especially rich in Symphyta (sawflies), aculeates, and entomophagous parasites from worldwide locations.

Housed within the Museum of Natural History is the The SI AntLab, a special facility where colonies of ants live and are studied. Specifically, there is an Atta texana leaf-cutter farm that helps scientists study these ants within the museum, rather than travel to South America where the ants are from.

The nucleus of the Hymenoptera collection was formed by a number of early researchers including C. V. Riley, T. Pergandé, E. A. Schwarz, and L. O Howard, but the USNM Hymenoptera holdings first acquired the status of a major collection with the acquisition of the Ashmead collection - numbering around 60,000 specimens - in 1898.

William H. Ashmead had originally been appointed by the USDA in 1887 to work on insect pests and their parasites. Later he was employed by the Smithsonian Institution as assistant curator and thus became, in 1897, the first USNM hymenopterist. James C. Crawford succeeded Ashmead as assistant curator in 1908 and centered his research on the Chalcidoidea, one of the largest groups of parasitoid wasps. 

  • Ted Schultz: SchultzT@si.edu
    Smithsonian Institution 
  • Sean Brady: BradyS@si.edu
    Smithsonian Institution
  • Matt Buffington: Matt.Buffington@ars.usda.gov
    USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory
  • Mike Gates: Michael.Gates@ars.usda.gov
    USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory
  • Bob Kula: Robert.Kula@ars.usda.gov
    USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory