{"id":6229,"date":"2023-12-18T11:44:43","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T10:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sci4gi.mediassociations.fr\/heroine\/margaret-s-collins-pioneer-in-entomology-nicknamed-the-termite-lady\/"},"modified":"2025-06-16T18:23:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T16:23:41","slug":"margaret-s-collins-pioneer-in-entomology-nicknamed-the-termite-lady","status":"publish","type":"heroine","link":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/heroin\/margaret-s-collins-pioneer-in-entomology-nicknamed-the-termite-lady\/","title":{"rendered":"Margaret S. COLLINS: Pioneer in Entomology, Nicknamed \u201cthe Termite Lady\u201d."},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Photo of Margaret S. Collins in front of the famous Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington. Credit: Vernard R. Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Often considered the worst nightmare of homeowners, termites actually play an important role in the ecosystem. Termites contribute to biodiversity balance: in addition to being a food source for wildlife, termites decompose dead wood while increasing soil aeration. Margaret S. Collins was a zoologist fascinated by the natural world and passionate about termites. Her research has led to a better understanding of the role and diversity of termites. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Photo of a Parvitermes collinsae, a termite species native to the West Indies, discovered by Margaret S. Collins and named after her. Credit: Vernard R. Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Childhood and Education<\/h3><\/div>
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Margaret James Strickland Collins was an African American born on September 4, 1922, in West Virginia (United States). She was fortunate to have educated parents. Her father, Rollins James, obtained a Master’s degree and taught agriculture to high school students. Her mother, Luella James, received an education but was forced to leave university due to the difficulties in accessing education for women. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Margaret received a quality education; her parents \u201cencouraged her to develop her curiosity, empathy, and innovation. From a very young age, Margaret showed a natural talent for reading and collected insects that\u201d she found in her yard and around her home. Passionate about science, she gained exceptional access to the West Virginia State College library to read and learn about the fascinating world of insects. As a \u201cgifted student, she skipped two grades and obtained her high school diploma at only 14 years old, at\u201d West Virginia State College<\/em>. In 1943, Margaret obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology from West Virginia State University<\/a>. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Dr. Margaret S. Collins working with termites on Guana Island, British Virgin Islands (1993). Credit: Vernard R. Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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She then joined \u201cUniversity of Chicago<\/a> for a doctorate with Professor Alfred Edwards Emerson, an eminent zoologist in termite classification and social behavior. As Professor Emerson prohibited women from accompanying him on his expeditions, Margaret was content to\u201d study termites in the laboratory using the collection he had assembled. She studied everything about termites: their diversity, anatomy, biology, and relationship with the environment. In 1949, she became the first African American woman to obtain a doctorate in Entomology<\/a>. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Career<\/h3><\/div>
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For 30 years, from 1953 to 1983, Margaret successively held positions as assistant professor and then professor at Howard<\/a> University in Washington, in the biology faculty at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University<\/em> (FAMU<\/a>) and at Federal City College<\/a> in Washington DC. At the same time, she conducted fieldwork in North and South America. She discovered two new species of termites, the Florida damp-wood termite (or Neotermes luykxi<\/em>) and Parvitermes collinsae<\/em>, named in her honor. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Field laboratory notebook in which Margaret S. Collins recorded her research (1982) Credit: siarchives<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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In 1983, Margaret accepted a position as a senior researcher at the Smithsonian<\/a> National Museum of Natural History in Washington. She continued her research on termites and greatly contributed to enriching the termite collection displayed at the museum. She published more than 40 articles that deepened knowledge about the physiology and diversity of termites. As a pioneer in Entomology and due to her important work on termites, Margaret was nicknamed the “Termite Lady”. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Family Life<\/h3><\/div>
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Margaret first married Bernard Strickland. But she quickly faced challenges in life. Her husband, a newlywed, enlisted alongside the Americans to challenge Nazi Germany during World War II. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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After divorcing Bernard Strickland, Margaret married Herbert L. Collins, with whom she had two sons.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Dr. Margaret S. Collins showing her grandson the procedure for examining a termite nest. Credit: Vernard R. Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Human Rights and Civil Rights Activist<\/h3><\/div>
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As an African American, Margaret faced several challenges during these years. Racism and sexism, combined with professional segregation, affected her education and career. During her studies, she found support and inspiration from two mentors, Toye Davis and Frederick Lehner, who helped her obtain her degree in biological sciences. Later, as a professor, she saw one of her lectures canceled due to a bomb threat. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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A woman of vision and character, Margaret was very active in the civil rights struggle taking place in Florida. In the fifties, racial segregation was very prevalent. City buses separated passengers based on their color. During the civil rights movement, the student council of Florida A University called for a boycott of city buses and organized carpools as an alternative means of transportation. Margaret took time off from her scientific activities and supported the movement by driving African Americans to work. Her actions were considered illegal by the police and the FBI. Inspired by the movement, Margaret continued her civil rights efforts by organizing conferences on “science and the question of human equality”. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Example of a memorial in memory of Margaret S. Collins at the Smithsonian Museum. Credit: siarchives<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Margaret is an extraordinary scientist, passionate about insects, who could be a nightmare for entomophobes among us. She is also a courageous defender of civil rights who dedicated years to the fight against discrimination, segregation, and racism. Margaret died on April 27, 1996, at the \u201cage of 73, during one of her expeditions in the Cayman Islands. She continues to\u201d be applauded for her contribution to science. The Smithsonian<\/a> National Museum of Natural History carefully preserves the \u201cCollins Collection\u201d, in her honor. She is now a reference for students<\/a> in Entomology. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Written by Akila R. and edited by Tiffanie C.<\/div><\/div>
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Sources<\/h3><\/div>
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Vernard R. Lewis \u201cChild Prodigy, Pioneer Scientist, and Women and Civil Rights Advocate: Dr. Margaret James Strickland Collins (1922\u20131996),\u201d Florida Entomologist 99(2), 334-336, (1 June 2016). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1653\/024.099.0235<\/u><\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Eric W. Riddick, Michelle Samuel-Foo, Willye W. Bryan, and Alvin M. Simmons ”Memoirs of Black Entomologists: Reflections on Childhood, University, and Career Experiences”, Entomological Society Of America, Annapolis, MD 2015<\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Margaret S. Collins Facts for Kids (<\/a>kiddle.co<\/a>)<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div>

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The \u201ctermite lady\u201d: pioneering biologist and activist Margaret Collins (<\/a>rsb.org.uk<\/a>)<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Margaret Strickland Collins: Civil rights activist and \u201ctermite lady\u201d – Science in the News (<\/a>harvard.edu<\/a>)<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cNothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.\u201d Marie Curie Often considered the worst nightmare of homeowners, termites actually play an important role in the ecosystem. Termites contribute to biodiversity balance: in addition to being a food […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6501,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","categories":[1093,1082],"class_list":["post-6229","heroine","type-heroine","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entomology-heroes","category-heroes"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/heroine\/6229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/heroine"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/heroine"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/heroine\/6229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}