Social Insects Research Group - SIRG

Social Insects Research Group - SIRG A dynamic research group working on social insects located in the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

18/02/2026

To the complete bee researcher who has dedicated his life to understanding bees, your work on honey bee communication has been the foundation on which our research group, the social insects research group, has stood. Prof Crewe established the Social Insects Research group to focus on the population crisis facing honey bees, their role as pollinators, and how they communicate. For this, the entire bee research community is thankful, and we wish Prof Crewe a phenomenal 80th birthday.

31/12/2025

What a year!! Here is our end year recap! It has been a blast!

Congratulations to Emeritus Professor Robin Crewe in Zoology and Entomology, who has been awarded the 2026 John F.W. Her...
20/11/2025

Congratulations to Emeritus Professor Robin Crewe in Zoology and Entomology, who has been awarded the 2026 John F.W. Herschel Medal, the highest honour from the Royal Society of South Africa (RSSAf). This prestigious award recognizes Prof Crewe's outstanding contributions to the fields of zoology and entomology, especially in the study chemical ecology of social insects.

The John F.W. Herschel Medal is awarded biennially to recognize significant achievements in the natural sciences, engineering, or technology. Prof Crewe's work has had a profound impact on our understanding of insect behaviour and honey bee social behaviour, and this award is a testament to his dedication to scientific research and excellence.

As a renowned expert in his field, Prof Crewe has made significant contributions to the scientific community, including his work as a researcher, educator, and science leader.

15/10/2025

Congratulations to Our Research Group Director Prof Christian Pirk who will be holding the position of Vice President for the next three years.

This is a prestigious moment in the battle against Bee colony Losses.

# of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria

Throw back to a few weeks when visisted us , in attendance the VC Francis William Petersen , Prof Abdullahi Yusuf, Pro...
08/10/2025

Throw back to a few weeks when visisted us , in attendance the VC Francis William Petersen , Prof Abdullahi Yusuf, Prof Christian Pirk and some of the members of our reserach group.

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SIRG was well represented recently at the ESSA conference 2025 held at the University of Free state.With Goratileone Oep...
31/07/2025

SIRG was well represented recently at the ESSA conference 2025 held at the University of Free state.

With Goratileone Oepeng and Lerato Maupi, both MSc students presenting their masters projects.

04/07/2025

For our Meet our students series, We have Annika Kruger who is a PhD student in our research Group working on a rather exciting research project, so exciting that you should watch the video to know more about it !

02/07/2025

For our meet our students series, meet Jabulile who is also doing her masters in our research Group but she is working on something even more interesting, a parasite of bees.

Watch the video to learn about her research project!

01/07/2025

Meet Goratileone Oepeng an Entomology Masters student in our research Group.

To hear more about his project, watch the video clip below

18/06/2025

As part of our ongoing meet our students , meeting Lerato who is currently doing her masters in our research Group. Watch the video to learn more about her project.

What if we could manage tsetse flies?The culprit that is responsible for carrying trypanosomes which in humans cause Afr...
27/05/2025

What if we could manage tsetse flies?
The culprit that is responsible for carrying trypanosomes which in humans cause African sleeping sickness and in animals can cause Nagana all variants from acute to chronic and surra.

Science has no ending and below is a synopsis with a link to an article our research group has worked on! Scan the QR code for the full scientific article.

Join us Tomorrow for an information session on Horizon Europe Africa Initiative III – Focus on SA . Scan the QR in the p...
27/05/2025

Join us Tomorrow for an information session on Horizon Europe Africa Initiative III – Focus on SA . Scan the QR in the poster to access registration .

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University Of Pretoria
Pretoria
0020

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