ISB lab members at the Instituto de Biología, Mexico City, where the 2026 ISH congress was held. From left to right: Mollie Slater-Baker, Juanita Rodriguez, Erinn Fagan-Jeffries, Tareva-Chine Atkin-Zaldivar, Shannon Tetley, Maura Haas-Renninger.
From 7–14th of August 2026, members of the ISB wasp group traveled to Mexico City to attend the 11th Congress of the International Society of Hymenopterists (ISH). There were over 100 attendants at the congress, all sharing their research on wasps, ants, bees and sawflies. Our lab members were able to catch up with friends and collaborators, meet new colleagues, and learn more about current research in the field.
Congress attendees visited the ancient Teotihuacan temples, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Two ISB lab members were presented with awards at the congress. Tareva-Chine Atkin-Zaldívar won 2nd prize for the best student talk at the congress, and first place for the best talk on the superfamily Chalcidoidea. For this, Tareva-Chine was awarded a copy of the ‘Chalcidoidea of the World’ book, a (very hefty!) culmination of current knowledge on the highly diverse wasp superfamily Chalcidoidea. Dr Erinn Fagan-Jeffries was awarded the 2026 Service Award, for her work as the ISH webmaster since 2016.
Erinn (left) and Tareva-Chine (right) with their awards from the ISH congress
Whilst in Mexico City, the ISB wasp group also enjoyed exploring the city’s beautiful parks and gardens, colourful markets and museums. Mexico is also of course known for its amazing food, including many edible invertebrates!
Foods and sights from Mexico City
Leave a Reply