PENANG, 21 January 2026 – The 2026 Insect Identification and Preservation Techniques Workshop by the Entomology and Parasitology Program commences at the School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

The programme aims to introduce participants to the fundamentals of insect identification and preservation with hands-on experience in recognising major insect orders, using identification keys and applying proper preservation methods.

During its commencement, the programme chairman, Professor Ts. Dr. Abdul Hafiz Ab Majid, stated the importance of the programme, specifically on the importance of correct insect identification.

“Identification is very important even in pest management, as we must know which insects are beneficial to the ecosystem, especially pollinators: even commonly exterminated insects such as termites may also serve a benefit towards the environment,” explained Prof. Hafiz.

The workshop provided participants with a plethora of knowledge, such as regarding the Malaysian ecosystem and the species of insects commonly found in Malaysia, the anatomy of insects, the safety and ethics of insect handling and the taxonomic levels of identification.

The project director of the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Suhaila Ab Hamid, shared in the workshop pertinent information regarding one of the biggest parts of the workshop, insect trapping.

“There are actually many different insect-catching tools, such as the aquatic D-net, which can capture the benthic organisms from water bodies, which are the water-dwelling insects,” Dr. Suhaila shared during the workshop.

In a niche sector such as entomology (the study of insects), many people may have the misconception that identification of insects can easily be replaced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) or certain applications.

Dr. Suhaila explains that the human touch is still very much required in the field.

“AI is helpful for insect identification but cannot fully replace humans due to the high diversity of insects. AI can only identify existing species based on its database and cannot work with new or current species,” Dr. Suhaila shared.

Insect identification often relies on very small characteristics, which AI may not accurately capture due to image quality issues, potentially leading to misidentification.

“Human experts use additional factors like habitat, host plants, insect behaviour, and seasonality for identification, not relying solely on morphological characteristics; taxonomy is also dynamic, and humans can update and interpret these changes, while AI only follows them after retraining,” elaborated Dr. Suhaila.

In short, the workshop provided valuable information regarding insect identification and preservation alongside practical hands-on participation.

Overall, the Entomology and Parasitology Programme under the School of Biological Sciences reflects the commitment by USM towards research and localised knowledge. 

Text: Sara Hannah Sahan Shah, House of Media (HOMe@MPRC)/Editing: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin/Photos: Sara Hannah Sahan Shah, House of Media (HOMe@MPRC)