Last month, July 2022, entomologists from around the world gathered in Helsinki, Finland, to attend the XXVI International Congress of Entomology 2022: the northernmost location for the legendary congress dating back to 1910.

Among the visitors, there were many HOMED researchers who were eager to share their latest results and learn from their colleagues’ work.

The 6-day congress in Helsinki offered an outstanding, cutting-edge scientific programme. It covered over 150 symposia with topics ranging from biodiversity and conservation biology to invasive species and regulatory entomology. Evidently, one of the hottest topics was invasive pests and their potential biocontrol agents. Several HOMED members had the chance to present their most relevant findings and discuss them with the rest of the congress participants.

On Monday, 18 July, HOMED’s coordinator Hervé Jactel (INRAE) and Massimo Faccoli (UNIPD) organised and moderated a session on "Alien insects in forests: from invasiveness to invasibility". During that session, several HOMED partners, among whom Alex Stemmelen (INRAE), Martin Gossner (WSL), and Lukas Seehausen (CABI) had the chance to present their work. On the same day, other HOMED partners like Myron Zalucki (UQ), Andrew Liebhold (USDA), Andrea Battisti (UNIPD), and Eckehard Brockerhoff (WSL) also participated in the moderation of sessions.

Alex Stemmelen during his presentation at the XXVI ICE Congress 2022

On Tuesday, 19 July, HOMED researcher Eckehard Brockerhoff and his colleagues Davide Rassati and Richard Hofstetter moderated a session on the "Recent advances in bark and ambrosia beetle (Scolutinae) ecology and management". In addition, Andrea Battisti co-moderated a session on "Processionary moths: a model for future forest and landscape insect management".

On Thursday, 21 July, Alain Roques (INRAE) moderated a session on "Recent advances in detection and surveillance of emerging non-native forest insects". Afterwards, Manuela Branco (ISA) co-moderated a session on "Eucalyptus pests: a growing concern for forest plantations and urban trees".

Finally, on Friday, Andrea Battisti had the honour of delivering the Closing Plenary Presentation. The title of his plenary presentation was "Forest insects in a climate change perspective".

Other HOMED members who had the chance to present their work during the XXVI ICE Congress 2022 were Mark Kenis, Bastien Castagneyrol, Bernard Slippers, Mizuki Uemura, and Catarina Afonso.

Hervé Jactel, Lukas Seehausen and Martin Gossner at HOMED’s and Pensoft’s stand during the XXVI ICE Congress 2022

Find out more about the congress here.