Monday, July 27, 2026 marks the 150th birthday of Edith Marion Patch. She was an unpaid teacher at the University of Maine, at least until she almost singlehandedly developed the school’s Department of Entomology. She was also the first woman to be elected president of the Entomological Society of America. And sadly, we wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of her, despite the fact that without her contributions, Good News Pest Solutions may not have ever existed.
She’s one of the many women who made significant contributions to entomology that we’ll be looking at over the next two weeks. This week we’ll start a little closer to home, with the American women who helped shape the study of insects.
Clara Southmayd Ludlow, Ph.D. (1852–1924)
While visiting her brother stationed at a U.S. Army base in the Philippines, Clara Ludlow discovered her life’s work: mosquitoes. After completing her undergraduate studies at Mississippi State University, she earned her Ph.D. from George Washington University. The title of her dissertation was, “The Mosquitoes of the Philippine Islands: The Distribution of Certain Species and Their Occurrence in Relation to the Incidence of Certain Diseases.”
Ludlow went on to publish dozens of articles and identified 72 different mosquito species. She was one of the first people to investigate mosquito borne diseases and to link mosquito species to disease transmission cycles. She became the first woman and first non-physician member of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and earned the posthumous title of “Mother of Medical Entomology.”
She has a prestigious medal named after her to recognize honorees “for their inspirational and pioneering spirit, whose work represents success despite obstacles and advances the field of tropical medicine.”
Edith Patch (1876–1954)
Despite her interest in insects and the natural world from a young age, the first professional job Edith Patch held was as an English teacher. After two years, she transitioned to the unpaid position we mentioned earlier. Despite clashing with the men at University of Maine, she held onto her department chair position for more than 30 years, until her retirement.
During this time, she earned her doctorate from Cornell University in 1912, publishing nearly eighty scientific papers on aphids, their identification, their biology and the role they played in the environment. In 1938, she published The Food Plant Catalogue of the Aphids, letting farmers know what plants to eliminate to keep aphids away. She also wrote entomologically accurate children’s books.
Patch is recognized as the first truly successful professional female entomologist in the United States, and the first to warn that pesticides could be harmful to more than just the annoying insects and could potentially threaten the ecosystem. In particular, she pointed out that certain insecticides used by farmers could be dangerous to the pollinators they relied on. Sadly, her warnings went unheeded for far too long, and we are now paying the price.
Ximena McGlashan (1893-1986)
In 1911, after long hours collecting and raising eggs, larvae and pupae, the Butterfly Princess, aka entomologist Ximena McGlashan, alongside her father, started the first commercial butterfly farm in the U.S. She later published a magazine titled, “The Butterfly Farmer,” that encouraged other women to start their own home butterfly farm businesses.
Mary Talbot, Ph.D. (1903–1990)
For more than 50 years, Mary Talbot studied Myrmecology, the ecology and behavior of ants, earning her Ph.D., during the Great Depression, as a woman, when science in general was considered off limits to the fairer sex. She spent years in the Edwin S. George Reserve, meticulously observing and identifying 90 species of ants.
She spent most of her career studying the social behaviors of ants, and was especially interested in slave-making ants. Two ant species are named after her—Formica talbotae and Monomorium talbotae.
Rachel Louise Carson (1907–1964)
Probably best known for her book, Silent Spring, Rachel Carson followed the work of Edith Patch, and brought national attention to the harmful impacts of DDT and other pesticides on birds, insects, and human health. Her work led directly to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and the Endangered Species Act.
The book, at one time a science classroom staple, came about after Carson spent 10 years studying the ill-effects of pesticides and trying to convince her male colleagues to take her concerns seriously. Her work came to the attention of the Kennedy family and JFK used his Presidential platform to help promote Carson’s work.
Today, her legacy continues to impact how Americans view and care for the nation’s wildlife species—including insects—perhaps more than any other modern scientist. Without her work, and how others have taken the baton she passed, we would not have the majority of green solutions we offer our clients.
Margaret S. Collins (1922-1996)
The so-called ‘Termite lady’ was the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in entomology – at age 28. In 1950, Margaret S. Collins was forbidden to do any fieldwork, yet still managed to finish her dissertation on the variation in desiccation tolerance among termite species. This was a paper that is still cited often. While in Guyana, she showed the military how to build stronger structures using termite excretions.
For a short time, Collins was a professor at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, eventually departing there for Howard University to become the president of the Entomological Society of Washington and a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution. The national position allowed her to do fieldwork in Arizona, Mexico and Central America.
She was also active in the Civil Rights movement. To this day, she is remembered as a specialist in termite physiology, taxonomy and use of chemical defenses.
Everything we do here at Good News Pest Solutions is built on the foundation of what smart men and women who have come before us have given to the world of entomology. We’re grateful for what these women have done to make our services possible, whether it's our Green Perimeter Plus treatment, or our warrantied Term Assure 365+ termite solution. For more details on how we protect your family and pets with effective, safe solutions, or to schedule your first appointment, please give us a call!