The 26th International Congress of Entomology falls in the same month as the summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. When the ICE2020Helsinki will have its closing events, Tokyo2020 will celebrate the opening ceremonies. It is an omen that both events are staged in a synchronized way: both events are landmarks, and beacons for their areas. Athletes wait for the Olympic Games to measure their performances on the global stage, while entomologists value the ICE events, to see entomology put on the global map, and exchange information on the global scale. The ICE2016Orlando was such a beacon for the area: 6600 participants and the generosity of the ESA organizers, who sponsored around 600 speakers, students, and key academics in the area, set new standards for entomology conferences. But why are we so impressed by these figures? When glancing at other disciplines setting up congresses, the ICE2016Orlando figures look modest. For example, in medicine, there are annually several congresses with over 50 000 attendees! Hence, although the ICE2016Orlando set a new record for entomology, in comparison with several other disciplines, it is still modest in size. Nevertheless, the discipline is very important and relevant. Vector biology, for example, forms a key entomological link to so many diseases plaguing humans and animals. We still have no cure, for example, for leishmaniosis, dengue, or malaria. Millions of humans suffer from such diseases, and also unknown numbers of animals.

Let us have a healthy planet. We as entomologists play a key role in solving these challenges. Previous ICE congresses, including those in Brisbane, Durban, Daegu, and in 2016 in Orlando—where the hub was on the zika virus—advanced our knowledge in key areas of research. ICE2020Helsinki will invite and reach out to bordering disciplines, to solve problems, and to help overcome these plagues. APIS is open as a publication venue for scientists and section leaders, who prepare presentations and organize symposia. The book series Progress in Biological Control is inviting proposals—not only to be published after the ICE2020Helsinki event, but if possible, by the time of the congress.


Ingeborg Menzler-Hokkanen

Managing Editor, Arthropod-Plant Interactions

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