The lab team consists of 5 amazing entomologists....

No really...all these people somehow ended up loving the world of insects, and examining them under the microscope...

If you look at a mosquito (And manage to do it without squashing it first)...you might notice tiny details, stripes on their legs, feathery antennae, a long proboscis.

Look at the same mosquito under a microscope, and you will be blown away...truly, the detail on an insect is absolutely fascinating when viewed down a scope. Shimmering scales, hairy legs, shiny eyes, claws...

All these details vary from species to species...the documents identifying all these features are vast, and this is where the art of taxonomy begins.  A giant world-wide puzzle pieced together to identify a mosquito to species.

And this is very important, because some species are better at carrying disease than others.

Our lab team have been identifying mosquitoes for quite some time.  The earliest member began to specialise in 1999, the latest in 2004). During the early days of Southern Saltmarsh Mosquito eradication, our entomologists were looking at hundreds, if not thousands of specimens per day. All had to be identified within 24 hours of receipt, to ensure any nasties could be dealt with as quickly as possible. That meant many early morning starts & late nights.

But it also meant great skills were developed.  Our team are experts. And years of pressurised, get-it-right identifications say so.

To be sure... we back up our identifications with verifications from leading international entomologists.

Now, meet the team...