The Entomologischer Verein Krefeld (EVK) is an

entomological Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

society based in

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

, Germany. Founded in 1905, it keeps meticulous records and specimens of the area's

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s, a collection curated since 1987 by entomologist Martin Sorg. The EVK is known in particular for a study it conducted, published in '' PLOS One'' in 2017, that demonstrated a 75 percent decline in flying insect biomass in 63

nature reserves in Germany A ''Naturschutzgebiet'' (abbreviated NSG) is a category of protected area (nature reserve) within Germany's Federal Nature Conservation Act (the ''Bundesnaturschutzgesetz'' or ''BNatSchG''). Although often translated as 'Nature Reserve' in Engli ...

between 1989 and 2016. The paper became the "third most frequently cited scientific study" of 2017 in the media, according to ''The Economist''.

Membership

Based in a former school in Krefeld's Marktstraße, the EVK has around 50 members, many of them hobbyists, who, according to Gretchen Vogel in ''

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

'', "have become world experts on their favorite insects". One member, Siegfried Cymorek, who did not graduate from high school, was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1979 by the

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , a ...

for his research into the

woodboring beetle The term woodboring beetle encompasses many species and families of beetles whose larval or adult forms eat and destroy wood (i.e., are xylophagous). In the woodworking industry, larval stages of some are sometimes referred to as woodworms. The ...

. The society is a member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für allgemeine und angewandte Entomologie (German Association for General and Applied Entomology).

Curators

*Ernst Puhlmann (1864–1959), from before World War II until 1943 *Bruno Maixner (1902–1999) from 1943 to 1958 *Siegfried Cymorek (1927–1987) from 1958 to 1987 *Martin Sorg, since 1987

2017 study

The society is noted for a study it conducted, first published in 2013, in which it examined data from malaise traps in 63

, most of them in the Krefeld area. Reanalysed and republished in 2017 in '' PLOS One'', the study showed that, between 1989 and 2016, there had been a 75 percent decline in flying insect biomass in the nature reserves. The paper attracted widespread attention. According to ''The Economist'', it was the "third most frequently cited scientific study" in the media in 2017. The society won a Science Hero prize for the work.

References

{{reflist , refs= {{citation , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/04/world/europe/krefeld-germany-insect-armageddon.html , title=The German Amateurs Who Discovered 'Insect Armageddon' , newspaper=The New York Times , author=Sally McGrane , date=4 December 2017 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20171205055925/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/04/world/europe/krefeld-germany-insect-armageddon.html , archive-date=5 December 2017 , url-status=live , access-date=17 February 2019 {{citation , url=https://idw-online.de/de/news701638 , title=Entomologischer Verein Krefeld bekommt den Science Hero Preis 2019 für Insektenforschung , newspaper=Informationsdienst Wissenschaft , date=5 September 2018 , author=Ralf Meyer {{citation , last1=Hallmann , first1=CA , last2=Sorg , first2=M , last3=Jongejans , first3=E , last4=Siepel , first4=H , last5=Hofland , first5=N , last6=Schwan, first6=H , title=More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas , journal=PLOS ONE , volume=12 , pages=e0185809 , number=10 , doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0185809 , pmid=29045418 , date=18 October 2017, pmc=5646769 , doi-access=free {{cite news , last1=Baier , first1=Tina , title=Dramatischer Insektenschwund in Deutschland , url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/insektensterben-dramatischer-insektenschwund-in-deutschland-1.3713567 , work=Suddeutsche Zeitung , date=18 October 2017 {{cite news , last1=Carrington , first1=Damian , title=Warning of 'ecological Armageddon' after dramatic plunge in insect numbers , url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/18/warning-of-ecological-armageddon-after-dramatic-plunge-in-insect-numbers , work=The Guardian , date=18 October 2017 {{cite news , title=Cry of cicadas: The insect apocalypse is not here but there are reasons for concern , newspaper =

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

, date=23 March 2019 , page=71 , volume=430 , number=9135 , url=https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/03/23/the-insect-apocalypse-is-not-here-but-there-are-reasons-for-concern {{cite news , last1=Kover , first1=Paula , title=Insect 'Armageddon': 5 Crucial Questions Answered , url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/insect-ldquo-armageddon-rdquo-5-crucial-questions-answered/ , work=Scientific American , date=30 October 2017 {{cite journal , first=Simon , last=Leather , authorlink1=Simon Leather , journal= Annals of Applied Biology, date=20 December 2017 , volume=172 , pages=1–3 , title='Ecological Armageddon' – more evidence for the drastic decline in insect numbers, doi=10.1111/aab.12410, url=https://hau.collections.crest.ac.uk/17242/1/Simon%20Leather%20Ecological%20Armageddon%20upload.pdf , doi-access=free {{cite news , url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/17/where-have-insects-gone-climate-change-population-decline , title=Where have all our insects gone? , newspaper=The Observer , first=Robin, last=McKie , date=17 June 2018 {{cite news , last1=McKirdy , first1=Euan , title=New study suggests insect populations have declined by 75% over 3 decades , url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/19/europe/insect-decline-germany/index.html , publisher=CNN , date=20 October 2017 {{cite journal , last1=Sorg , first1=M. , last2=Schwan , first2=H. , last3=Stenmans , first3=W. , last4=Müller , first4=A. , title=Ermittlung der Biomassen flugaktiver Insekten im Naturschutzgebiet Orbroicher Bruch mit Malaise Fallen in den Jahren 1989 und 2013 , journal=Mitteilungen aus dem Entomologischen Verein Krefeld , volume=1 , date=2013 , url=https://www.boerenlandvogels.nl/sites/default/files/mitt-evk-2013-1.pdf , pages=1–5 {{cite web , title=Entomologische Sammlungen Krefeld , url=http://www.entomologica.org/sammlungen-frameset.htm , publisher=Entomologischer Verein Krefeld , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210095158/http://www.entomologica.org/sammlungen-frameset.htm , archive-date=10 February 2017, url-status=live {{cite news , last1=Stager , first1=Curt , author-link=Curt Stager , title=The Silence of the Bugs , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/26/opinion/sunday/insects-bugs-naturalists-scientists.html , work=The New York Times , archive-url=https://archive.today/20180527061425/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/26/opinion/sunday/insects-bugs-naturalists-scientists.html , archive-date=27 May 2018 , date=26 May 2018, url-status=live {{cite web , title=Themen , url=http://www.entomologica.org/themen-frameset.htm , publisher=Entomologischer Verein Krefeld , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210095332/http://www.entomologica.org/themen-frameset.htm , archive-date=10 February 2017, url-status=live {{cite journal , url=https://www.science.org/content/article/where-have-all-insects-gone , journal=

, title=Where have all the insects gone? , first1=Gretchen , last1=Vogel , date=10 May 2017, doi=10.1126/science.aal1160 {{cite news , last1=Jarvis , first1=Brooke , title=The Insect Apocalypse Is Here: What does it mean for the rest of life on Earth? , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/27/magazine/insect-apocalypse.html , work=New York Times Magazine , date=27 November 2018

External links

Entomologischer Verein Krefeld e.V.
– website 1905 establishments in Germany Entomological societies

Membership

Curators

2017 study

See also

References

External links