Entomology is the scientific study of insects: their bodies, behaviors, life cycles, and relationships with other living things. An entomologist might spend years observing how ants communicate, why fireflies glow, or how bees find their way back to the hive.

Insects make up more than half of all known living species on Earth, so entomologists have plenty to study. Some focus on butterflies and moths, tracking their migrations across continents. Others study agricultural pests to help farmers protect crops without harmful chemicals. Medical entomologists investigate mosquitoes and other insects that spread diseases. Museum entomologists carefully preserve and catalog thousands of insect specimens.

The word combines the Greek entomon, meaning “insect” (literally “notched” or “cut into sections,” describing an insect's segmented body), with -ology, meaning “the study of.”

Don't confuse entomology with etymology, the study of word origins. The two words sound similar but mean completely different things: one scientist collects beetles while the other collects the histories of words.