Garden Entomology. The Work of the Royal Horticultural Society's Entomologists

摘要

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is perhaps best known for running the Chelsea Flower Show in May each year, but there is much more to the Society. The RHS was founded in 1804 and is now in its third century. It is Britain's largest gardening charity, with four large gardens and nearly 400, 000 members. It is the leading organisation demonstrating and promoting excellence in horticulture and gardening. The Society's primary objective is to "safeguard and advance the science, art and practice ofhorticulture for the benefit of future generations and the environment". Some may be familiar with the RHS's flagship garden at Wisley, Surrey, UK and its characteristic laboratory building, completed in 1918 (Fig 1). Within the laboratory is the ScienceDepartment, comprising Plant Pathology, Botany, Plant Soil Interactions and Entomology. The entomology section has been providing advice and relevant research on animal matters in gardens for nearly 100 years. This article summarises the history of entomology at the RHS, the diversity of advisory work and current research projects.