In 2022, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Entomological Society of Brazil (SEB). Along half a century of existence, SEB has been dynamic and up-to-date to better serve its members and disseminate entomological research. This is a brief account of SEB’s historical trajectory, presenting some relevant points of its creation, which formed the basis for the recognition and projection of SEB in the scientific community.

Until the 1960s, there were no scientific events to discuss entomological research in Brazil. In 1967, an initial idea of organizing annual meetings of Entomology, similar to the American Society of Entomology, was discussed in a cycle of seminars and debates to create the Graduate course of Entomology at ESALQ, organized by Domingos Gallo, Octavio Nakano, Sinval Silveira Neto, Carlos J. Rossetto, and Allen Steinhauer. The idea was approved by the Brazilian Society of Entomology (SBE), which had existed since 1937. Thus, the 1st Annual Meeting of SBE was organized at ESALQ, Piracicaba, SP, in 1968, comprising 56 works. The 2nd Annual Meeting of SBE was held at UFRPE, in Recife, in 1969, with 77 works, mostly related to the Agricultural Entomology. The 3rd Annual meeting of SBE which would be held in Itabuna, BA, did not have the support of SBE. For this reason, the “Agricultural Entomology meeting” was created, hosted at the CEPLAC Experimental station, in Uruçuca, BA. The printed abstracts and notepads with the logo of this meeting were disposed in folders and distributed as material to the attendees (Fig. 1). In this event, the Entomological Society of Brazil (SEB) was created by 43 founding members (Table 1; Fig. 2). Pedrito Silva, researcher at CEPLAC, was elected SEB president, and it was determined that Viçosa, MG, would hold the 1st Annual Meeting of SEB in 1973 (Silveira Neto and Parra 1997). The second meeting was organized in Pelotas, RS, in 1975, being called “2nd Brazilian Congress of Entomology” (CBE).

Folders with abstracts from the Meeting of Agricultural Entomology in Uruçuca, BA

Register of the SEB meeting in Uruçuca, BA

The CBEs consolidated, becoming events with thousands of attendees. They divulgated SEB, which in collaboration with Embrapa Soja, organized the XX International Congress of Entomology in Foz de Iguaçu, PR, in 2000, with around 4000 attendees from 78 countries. The 28th CBE was held in Fortaleza (2022), counting with 1500 attendees, and the 29th CBE will be held in Uberlândia in 2024.

As previously mentioned, the beginning of postgraduate courses in Entomology (master’s degree in 1968 and doctorate in 1972), which significantly increased the number of Brazilian entomologists, was a milestone to create SEB. Another important milestone was the creation of Embrapa employing researchers trained in Brazil and abroad, significantly contributing to entomological researches. Thus, researches in Agricultural Entomology have diversified and covered different areas of knowledge, unlike the initial studies that focused only on chemical control.

CBEs are important events to maintain the union spirit of the SEB members; however, other achievements have contributed to the growth of SEB and, consequently, to the Brazilian entomology. For instance, the growing increase of research in biological control justified the organization of a new event focused in this topic. The 1st National Symposium of Biological Control (Siconbiol) was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1988. The 16th Siconbiol was held in Londrina in 2019, with 800 attendees, and the 17th will take place in Juazeiro and Petrolina 2023.

Besides the scientific events, SEB has been dedicated to scientific publications, represented by the journals Neotropical Entomology, BioAssay, and Entomological Communications. SEB still maintains a newsletter, to divulge matters to its members, called “Informativo da SEB.”

Neotropical Entomology (NENT), formerly “Anais da Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil,” was first published in 1972 and has been published uninterruptedly for the past 50 years (see Fontes et al. 2021). In addition to the name change, the journal underwent several changes (format, layout, cover, use of English language, and on-line publication) to adapt to new times and better meet the demands of the scientific community. Neotropical Entomology is a journal with international coverage, projecting the SEB worldwide.

BioAssay is an electronic journal, created in 2006, to publish the results of laboratory and field trials to support the development of products for the control of agricultural pests (Zucchi 2005; Omoto 2006). The journal arose from the need to have an exclusive channel for the publication of assay results, given the large number of manuscripts of this type submitted to NENT.

Entomological Communications is SEB’s latest electronic journal. It is focused on publishing scientific notes more rapidly (Fernandes and Pitta 2019).

Informativo SEB (ISEB) is SEB’s newsletter, published uninterruptedly since its creation in 1976 (Zucchi 2021). It is currently disseminated electronically to promote exchange between the SEB Board of Directors and its members. In addition to disclosing news that contemplate the interest of its members, ISEB is an excellent document, as it registers entomological events, rescuing the history of SEB since its foundation. The current report testifies to the importance of the ISEB since the information presented here was based in ISEB numbers available electronically (https://www.seb.org.br/iseb).

By virtue of the Civil Code, since 2003, SEB is an association, as it is not for profit, and its members are classified as associates (see ISEB 29/2, 2004). SEB’s heraldic symbols are the logo (Fig. 3) and the flag (Fig. 4). The logo was approved by the associates on 09/15/1994 (see ISEB 20/especial issue, 1995). The characteristics of the logo (colors, font, and butterfly style) were presented in the ISEB 25(1) of 2000. The flag was unanimously approved at the General Assembly of the 20th CBE, in Gramado in 2000, when it was instituted that the flag should be exhibited in the Opening section of SEB events (CBE and Siconbiol). Heraldic symbols are important elements of an institution, providing legitimacy to its actions. Therefore, it is fundamental that SEB’s logo and the flag are faithfully represented according to their characteristics.

SEB official logo templates

SEB’s official flag displayed at the 20th CBE held in Gramado, RS

Over five decades, SEB had 13 Presidents elected during the General Assembly held during the CEBs (Fig. 5): Pedrito Silva (1972–1975), Milton S. Guerra (1975–1978), Fernando M. Lara (1978–1984), Jocélia Grazia (1984–1991), Evaldo F. Vilela (1991–1995), José R.P. Parra (1995–1998), Flávio Moscardi (1998–2002), Roberto A. Zucchi (2002–2006), Adalécio Kovaleski (2006–2008), Antônio R. Panizzi (2008–2012), Pedro M.O.J. Neves (2012–2016), Eliane D. Quintela (2016–2022), Angelo Pallini (2022–2024). Our congratulations to all the presidents who contributed to the strengthening and enhancement of SEB and our best wishes to Angelo Pallini in the conduction of SEB destination in the coming years.

The evolution of SEB over the last 50 years has been extremely significant, i.e., from a small meeting of entomologists, it has evolved to a respected scientific society known worldwide. This evolution reflects the advance of studies on crop protection, developed in all areas of knowledge, with the application of more modern techniques to solve entomological problems, as well as basic studies for the adoption of highly effective techniques in pest control. Currently, the scope of SEB encompasses more than only Agricultural Entomology, which can be observed in the publication of Neotropical Entomology. SEB assembles researchers from different regions around the world and from diverse entomological areas. Another important key factor for SEB’s success is its ability to adapt to the new communication technologies, making SEB information available in different digital media.

Based on the mentioned characteristics and on the enthusiasm of young entomologists, SEB will continue its worldwide projection, consolidating its role as an important association of entomologists. We thank the visionary founders of SEB, who believed in an idea beyond the initial challenges. We hope that young entomologists will keep this ideal alive. Long live to SEB!