Entomological Society of America

What Entomological Society of America does

The Entomological Society of America (ESA), founded in 1889 and headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional society that operates as the largest organization in the world serving entomologists and individuals in related scientific disciplines. ESA's membership base of nearly 7,000 is organized into six geographic branches (Eastern, International, North Central, Pacific, Southeastern, Southwestern) and four scientific sections (MUVE, PBT, P-IE, SysEB), with a Formal & Informal Teaching (FIT) pilot section under development. The society addresses the professional, scientific, and policy needs of entomologists through peer-reviewed publications, professional certifications, networking events, advocacy, and educational outreach.

ESA's core product portfolio comprises nine peer-reviewed scientific journals distributed through Oxford University Press (Annals of the ESA, Environmental Entomology, Journal of Economic Entomology, Journal of Medical Entomology, Insect Systematics and Diversity, Arthropod Management Tests, Journal of Insect Science, Journal of Integrated Pest Management, and American Entomologist magazine), four professional certification programs (Board Certified Entomologist, Associate Certified Entomologist, Certified IPM Technician, and Public Health Entomology Certificate), and a flagship annual meeting (Entomology 2026 scheduled in Columbus, Ohio, November 8-11). Supporting assets include the Common Names Database and Better Common Names Project, an annual World of Insects Calendar, Thomas Say book publications, an Entomology Today blog, a career center at careers.entsoc.org, and an archived webinar/podcast library. Digital infrastructure spans three owned web properties (entsoc.org, entocert.org, entomologytoday.org) supporting membership management, publication hosting, certification administration, and event registration.

ESA generates revenue through a diversified mix: annual membership dues from individual and student categories; subscription and open access fees on its journals distributed via Oxford University Press; certification application and testing fees; event registration, exhibit, and sponsorship revenue from the annual and branch meetings; corporate partner program fees from major agricultural and consumer health companies including Syngenta, Bayer, BASF, SC Johnson, and Scoutlabs; charitable donations across multiple designated funds (General Fund, Certification Fund, Chrysalis Fund, ESA-Ramaswamy Science Advocacy Fund, McPherson Student Biodiversity Award Endowment, Member Support Fund, and SysEB Student Research Endowment); and career center job posting fees. The society employs 11-50 staff, has earned the Silver Seal of Transparency from Candid, and operates globally with science policy advocacy programs including the Vector-Borne Disease Network and the Public Health Entomology for All (PHEFA) initiative.

Name

Entomological Society of America

Legal name

Entomological Society of America

Website

https://entsoc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Entomological Society of America (ESA), founded in 1889 and headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional society and the largest organization serving entomologists worldwide, with nearly 7,000 members. ESA delivers peer-reviewed journals, certifications, an annual meeting, and science policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Annapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ESA generates revenue through annual membership fees from its nearly 7,000 members. Membership categories include individual members, student members, and various professional tiers with associated benefits.
2. Publication Revenue: ESA publishes scientific journals including American Entomologist, Annals of the ESA, Environmental Entomology, Insect Systematics and Diversity, Journal of Economic Entomology, Journal of Medical Entomology, Arthropod Management Tests, Journal of Insect Science, and Journal of Integrated Pest Management. Revenue comes from subscription access, open access publication charges, and institutional subscriptions.
3. Certification Programs: ESA administers professional certification programs including Board Certified Entomologist (BCE), Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE), Certified IPM Technician (CIT), and Public Health Entomology Certificate (PHE). These generate revenue through application and testing fees.
4. Events and Meetings: The annual meeting and branch meetings generate revenue through registration fees, exhibit fees, and sponsorship opportunities.
5. Corporate Partnerships: ESA offers corporate partner programs providing marketing visibility, advertising opportunities, and sponsorship packages to companies in the entomology and agriculture sectors.
6. Donations and Charitable Contributions: ESA accepts donations through various funds including General Fund, Certification Fund, Chrysalis Fund (education), ESA-Ramaswamy Science Advocacy Fund, McPherson Student Biodiversity Award Endowment, Member Support Fund, and SysEB Student Research Endowment.
7. Career Center: ESA operates a job board for the entomology field where employers can post job listings for a fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) is a nonprofit professional membership organization that serves entomologists and insect science professionals through peer-reviewed scientific journals, four professional certification programs (BCE, ACE, CIT, PHE), an annual meeting, branch/section events, webinars, a Common Names Database, a career center, and science policy advocacy programs. It generates revenue from membership dues, journal subscriptions, certification fees, event registrations, corporate partnerships, and donations.

Product overview

The Entomological Society of America operates as a professional membership organization offering a portfolio of scientific publications, professional certifications, events, and educational programs. The core offerings include nine peer-reviewed scientific journals, four professional certification programs (BCE, ACE, CIT, PHE), annual meetings and branch events, a career center, webinars/podcasts, a Common Names Database, and various student grants and awards. The organization is structured around five membership sections (MUVE, PBT, P-IE, SysEB, and a pilot FIT section) and six regional branches covering different geographic areas. Additional programs include science policy advocacy, career training (PACT), and the Chrysalis Fund for K-12 insect education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ESA Membership Annual membership subscriptions for entomologists, students, and related professionals across multiple categories (student, professional, early career, etc.), providing access to journals, networking, sections, and member benefits.
• ESA Scientific Journals Portfolio of peer-reviewed scientific journals covering entomology including Annals of the ESA, Environmental Entomology, Journal of Economic Entomology, Journal of Medical Entomology, Insect Systematics and Diversity, Arthropod Management Tests, Journal of Insect Science, Journal of Integrated Pest Management, and American Entomologist magazine, distributed through Oxford University Press subscriptions.
• BCE (Board Certified Entomologist) Certification Professional certification program for entomologists demonstrating advanced knowledge and expertise in the field through application and testing fees.
• ACE (Associate Certified Entomologist) Certification Professional certification for pest management professionals demonstrating expertise in entomology-related pest control, generating revenue through application and testing fees.
• CIT (Certified IPM Technician) Certification Certification for technicians specializing in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices, generating revenue through application and testing fees.
• PHE (Public Health Entomology) Certificate Certification program for professionals specializing in public health entomology and vector-borne disease management, generating revenue through application and testing fees.
• ESA Annual Meeting Flagship annual conference (Entomology 2026 in Columbus, Ohio, November 8-11) bringing together thousands of entomology professionals, generating revenue through registration fees, exhibit fees, and sponsorships.
• ESA Career Center Online job board connecting entomologists with employment opportunities in industry, academia, and government, generating revenue from employer job posting fees.
• Thomas Say Publications (Books) ESA's book publishing program including monographs, manuals, and special publications in entomology available for purchase.
• World of Insects Calendar Annual calendar featuring insect photography and illustrations sold as both educational material and a fundraiser.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 7,000 entomologists connected through membership

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SyngentacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSyngenta is a leading agriculture company with operations in over 90 countries, working to improve global food security. The company is committed to enhancing biodiversity and works with beekeepers, conservation organizations and researchers on pollinator health initiatives including Operation Pollinator. Syngenta participates in ESA's Corporate Partner Program.
• BayercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBayer is a global company focused on agriculture and consumer health, working to shape what's possible for farmers, consumers, and the planet through innovation. Bayer participates in ESA's Corporate Partner Program.
• BASFcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBASF creates chemistry for a sustainable future, combining economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, BASF enables customers in nearly every industry to meet current and future needs of society. BASF participates in ESA's Corporate Partner Program.
• SC JohnsoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSC Johnson is a family company dedicated to making high-quality products that people can trust. The company operates the SC Johnson Institute of Insect Science for Family Health, one of the largest private urban entomology research facilities in the world, established in 1957 in Racine, Wisconsin and expanded to Shanghai, China in 2013. SC Johnson sponsors ESA as a Corporate Partner.
• ScoutlabsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerScoutlabs builds affordable digital insect monitoring systems. Their IoT smart traps provide real-time pest data, predictive insights, and automated reporting for agricultural and pest management applications. Scoutlabs participates in ESA's Corporate Partner Program.
• Weed Science Society of America (WSSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSSA collaborates with ESA and American Phytopathological Society during National Pesticide Safety Education Month (February) to promote pesticide safety awareness and offer online resources including quizzes and self-assessments for safe pesticide transport, storage, application, and disposal.
• American Phytopathological Society (APS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPS collaborates with ESA and Weed Science Society of America during National Pesticide Safety Education Month (February) to promote pesticide safety awareness and offer online resources including quizzes and self-assessments for safe pesticide handling and use.
• Entomological Collections Network (ECN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECN partners with ESA's SysEB Section to co-host the Entomological Collections Management Workshop, a hybrid event held at Yale University and virtually. The workshop provides training in collection management, curation, digitization, and best practices for entomological collections.
• Canadian Entomological SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Canadian Entomological Society co-organizes joint annual meetings with ESA, including the 2018 'Grand Challenges Summit - Invasive Species' in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• Mississippi State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMississippi State University cooperated with ESA's P-IE Section to organize the 2017 Science Policy Field Tour 'Balancing Pest Management and Pollinator Health' in the Mississippi Delta.
• Oxford University PresscoreTechnology or IntegrationOxford University Press serves as ESA's publisher, hosting and distributing ESA's peer-reviewed journals including American Entomologist, Annals of the ESA, Environmental Entomology, Insect Systematics and Diversity, Journal of Economic Entomology, Journal of Medical Entomology, Arthropod Management Tests, Journal of Insect Science, and Journal of Integrated Pest Management.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Chemical Society (ACS): Large US scientific society operating a comparable professional association model with peer-reviewed journals, member subscriptions, certification programs, divisions, and large annual meetings (ACS Fall/Spring). Demonstrates the scale-up pathway for society-based publishing and credentialing.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): Largest general scientific society in the US with ~120,000+ members, publishing Science, running Annual Meeting, and offering member credentials. Comparable in operating model (membership dues, premier journal, annual meeting, advocacy) but serves all scientific disciplines rather than specializing in entomology.
• Ecological Society of America (ESA): Scientific society serving ecologists with peer-reviewed journals (Ecology, Ecological Applications), annual meeting, and member sections. Highly comparable structure of journals, sections, membership dues, and policy advocacy, but focused on ecology rather than entomology.
• Genetics Society of America: Scientific society publishing Genetics and G3 journals, running conferences, and providing career and education programs. Comparable membership-society model for life sciences but with broader disciplinary scope than entomology.

Emerging players

• International Bee Research Association: UK-based charity supporting bee science and pollinator research, publishing the Journal of Apicultural Research. Adjacent to ESA's pollinator health focus but narrower in scope; representative of more focused scientific organizations that intersect with ESA's member community.
• Society for Invertebrate Pathology: International scientific society focused on invertebrate pathology, publishing the Journal of Invertebrate Pathology and holding annual meetings. Smaller scale than ESA but directly comparable as a niche invertebrate-focused professional society with journals, meetings, and credentialed membership.

Direct peers

• American Phytopathological Society (APS): Scientific society for plant pathologists publishing peer-reviewed journals, running annual meeting, and offering credentialing. Direct collaborator on National Pesticide Safety Education Month with ESA; near-identical operating model across membership, certification, and publications.
• Royal Entomological Society: UK-based learned society for entomology, publishing journals (Ecological Entomology, Insect Molecular Biology, etc.), offering membership and scientific meetings. Directly comparable as a national-charter entomological society with peer-reviewed publications and credentialed membership structure.
• Weed Science Society of America (WSSA): Scientific society for weed science professionals publishing peer-reviewed journals and running annual meetings. Co-partner with ESA on pesticide safety education; operates the same dues-publications-events business model serving a related agricultural discipline.
• Canadian Entomological Society: Canada's national entomological society, co-organizes joint annual meetings with ESA, publishes The Canadian Entomologist, and serves a comparable professional membership. Already a strategic partner (Grand Challenges Summit) and operates the same professional society business model in a neighboring geography.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/entsocamerica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/entsoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/entsoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/entomological-society-of-america
• Instagraminstagram.com/entsocamerica

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Entomological Society of America