History of CUIC

Early Years
The Cornell University Insect Collection traces its beginnings to the early years of Cornell. Professor Burton Green Wilder donated the first specimens in 1870. When John Henry Comstock began teaching entomology as a sophomore in 1871, he started the Cornell Insect Collection in his McGraw Tower room, where he worked as chimesmaster. In 1872, H.H. Smith donated specimens from Manlius New York, dutifully recorded by Comstock as Cornell University Collection Lot No. 1. The early years saw the Collection grow by addition of insects from the Cayuga Lake Basin, chiefly through the activities of Comstock and his students.

In addition, Comstock and Professor Mark Slingerland conducted experiments on insects injurious to agriculture. Voucher specimens associated with these studies were deposited in the collection. These specimens and their associated notes are still used today by scientists studying the biology of these species.

[sample entries, both images are large, but worth the wait]