Insects are all around us, and we cross paths with them regularly. Most encounters are inconsequential, but some can get our attention. According to the publication "Insects in Kansas", only 15 to 20 insect species are responsible for 75 percent of all insect-related financial loss to the people of Kansas. Insects may adversely affect our homes, food, field crops, gardens, lawns, health or health of our animals. Control of such pests is often essential. But in order to control a pest it is imperative to accurately identify the insect causing the problem. Similarly, some insects are beneficial and are worth encouraging. In all cases we must first know what we are dealing with before we can determine how to deal with it! Insect identification is often difficult and time consuming (more than 15,000 insect species have been reported in the United States alone). In many cases a reliable identification to the species level can only be made by a taxonomic specialist familiar with the group of insects in question.

We provide:

• Identification of submitted specimens to order, family, genus or species level, depending on each individual case.
• Recommendations for control methods may also be provided upon request.
• Assistance with identification of non-insect arthropods, such as spiders, ticks, mites, centipedes, etc.