- "Am I a member of ESA?"
- "How do I sign up for the ACE membership?"
- "I'm an ACE now, does that make me an ESA member too?"
The Entomological Society of America (ESA) is an individual membership organization. People join it because it offers benefits. Think of ESA as being like your local gym: Your gym offers benefits like weights, a track, a swimming pool, and basketball courts. But maybe you only use the stationary bikes and joined just for that reason.
Similarly, ESA offers a wide range of benefits that are designed to serve our nearly 7,000 members in over 80 different nations. One of the benefits is discounts on our certification programs, including BCE, ACE, and now ACE-International. Just like in the gym example, ESA offers many different benefits, including free online journal subscriptions, webinars, career resources, public policy advocacy, networking, and deep discounts on our conferences. Many ACEs and BCEs join ESA simply because of the affiliation with the largest insect science organization in the world and for the certification discounts. Membership in ESA is voluntary and based on the calendar year.
Membership in ESA is personal, not by institution. All of the benefits are bestowed on you as an individual, not your company. And so your company is not a member of ESA, even if someone else in your firm is a member.
ACE and BCE certification is different from ESA membership. First off, it is NOT a membership, though there are some similarities. A person can easily be certified by ESA without being a member of ESA. The strong majority (over 95%) of BCEs are also ESA members but a minority of ACEs are ESA members (about 25%).
Some of the reasons why an ACE or BCE would want to be a member of ESA would include:
- Discounted fees: Fees are reduced for certification applicants and those that hold certification.
- Networking potential: As a member you have access to the rosters and can find fellow members to discuss your pest control problems and challenges
- Scientific journal access: ESA posts Certified Science, a newsletter that goes out about every 6 weeks to also ACEs and urban BCEs. The newsletter includes the scientific abstracts, but members have access to the full articles.
- American Entomologist: This fun quarterly magazine is ESA's flagship publication and is distributed free to all members.
- And more ... I'd encourage you to review the full list of benefits of ESA membership.
As Debi Sutton, Membership Director for ESA says, "ESA membership is the perfect complement to earning your ACE or BCE. It shows not just a dedication to the knowledge and expertise required to effectively earn a living as a pest control professional, but it also shows a wider appreciation for the impact that the insect science has on the profession of pest control. And it allows ACEs and BCEs to access a network of others involved in the science, and research published on key areas of interest."
So let's go back to those first three questions again.
- "Am I a member of ESA?" -- Whether or not you are is totally up to you. But we hope your join.
- "How do I sign up for the ACE membership?" -- You don't. ACE is a certification, not a membership. If you want to apply for ACE certification, see this page. If you want to join ESA as a member, see this one.
- "I'm an ACE now, does that make me an ESA member too?" -- No. ACEs can save money on their certification fees if they also join ESA, but it is a choice.
