This PhD study investigates the diversity and distribution of vespid and crabronid wasps in selected sites of the Kole Wetlands, a seasonally flooded agro-wetland ecosystem in Thrissur District, Kerala. Through systematic field surveys across different habitats, the research aims to document species richness, abundance, and habitat associations, generating baseline data on wasp diversity and highlighting their ecological importance for wetland conservation and sustainable agriculture functioning.

Annual hydrological–agricultural cycle of the Kole wetlands

Achievements

• Best presentation award (Expo category) in science entitled “Exploring the buzz: The Bees of Kole Wetlands in Thrissur, Kerala” at the two-day Multidisciplinary National Conference and Research Expo 2024, organized by Researchers Forum of Christ College, Autonomous, Irinjalakuda on 14th and 15th  February 2024.

Presentations

• Presented an oral paper at the National Seminar on ‘Exploring the Diverse World of Insects’ (13–15 December 2023), Government Arts and Science College, Elanthoor, Pathanamthitta, on ‘Study of Bee Diversity in Selected Invasive Plants of Manakody Kole Wetland, Thrissur District, Kerala. 

• Presented an Expo paper at the two-day multidisciplinary National Conference and Research Expo, Scholars Connect (Researcher’s Forum of Christ College), 14–15 February 2024, titled ‘Exploring the Buzz: The Bees of Kole Wetlands in Thrissur, Kerala.’ 

• Presented an oral paper titled ‘A Preliminary Study on Species Richness of Non-Apis Bees in Medicinal Plants of the Thrissur Kole Wetland, Kerala’ at the National Conference on Pollinators for Food Security (6–10 January 2025), Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod.  

• Presented a paper titled ‘Preference of Non-Apis Bee Pollinators for Invasive over Non-Invasive Plants: A Case Study from the Thrissur Kole Wetlands, Kerala’ at INDICON 2025 (24–25 September 2025), Department of Zoology, Bharata Mata College, Thrikkakara, Kochi. 

Publications 

1) Vishnu, A. V., Bijoy, C., and Soumya, R. (2024). Study on bee diversity in selected invasive plants of Manakody Kole wetland, Thrissur district, Kerala. International Journal of Entomology Research, 9(5), pp 1-3. (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381322783_Study_on_bee_diversity_in_selected_invasive_plants_of_Manakody_kole_wetland_Thrissur_district_Kerala) 

2) Vishnu, A. V. & Sudhikumar, A. V. (2024). A comparative study on the spider fauna of two selected ecosystems from Thrissur, Kerala. Munis Entomology & Zoology, 19 (suppl.): pp. 3333-3342.  (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383670637_A_COMPARITIVE_STUDY_ON_THE_SPIDER_FAUNA_OF_TWO_SELECTED_ECOSYSTEMS_FROM_THRISSUR_KERALA) 

3) Published a poster as part of a collaborative work entitled ‘Nectar-robbing Behavior of Xylocopa ruficornis Fabricius, 1804 on Ipomoea mauritiana Jacq. from the Kole Wetland of Thommana, Thrissur, Kerala. (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387896933_Nectar-robbing_behaviour_of_Xylocopa_ruficornis_Fabricius_1804_on_Ipomoea_mauritiana_Jacq_from_Kole_wetland_of_Thommana_Thrissur_Kerala) 

4) Athul, C. S., Vishnu, A. V., Prakash, A. S., Bijoy, C., and Shaji, E. M. (2025). A checklist of Nomiinae (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) from Kerala, India: new distributional and floral association records. Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics, 11 (3), pp. 601–623. DOI: 10.61186/jibs.11.3.601 (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391369775_A_checklist_of_Nomiinae_Hymenoptera_Halictidae_from_Kerala_India_new_distributional_and_floral_association_records)

CONFERENCE, SEMINARS, WEBINARS, SYMPOSIA, WORKSHOPS, AND INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS.  

1. Participated in the Biodiversity Register Survey at Asurankundu Dam, Mulurkara Grama Panchayath (Thrissur District), 12–14 January 2024. 

2. Participated in the one-day workshop on Academic Publishing and Bibliometric Analysis, organized by IQAC & CCRCPC, Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, on 24 October 2024.

3. Attended a workshop titled ‘Insights for an Impactful Research’ at Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, on 1 November 2024. 

4. Participated in the Second Multidisciplinary International Conference and Research Expo 2024, held at Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, from 5–7 November 2024.

5. Participated in the National Symposium on ‘The Western Ghats: Biodiversity Conservation and Management (WGBCEM-2025)’ and the Western Ghats Fest-2025, held at Coimbatore, from 5–8 March 2025. 

6. Participated in a two-day workshop on Species Distribution Modeling using MaxEnt, held at KFRI, Peechi, Kerala, on 13–14 March 2025.

7. Participated and presented at the one-day conference ‘110 Hackathon’, held at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Calicut, on 17 May 2025.

8. Completed a 10-day internship program titled ‘Bees-Spotting: Essentials of Collection, Identification, and Curation’, organized by the Shadpada Entomology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, Kerala, held from 12–21 May 2025. 

9. Attended a one-day workshop on ‘New Trends in Research Writing’ for PhD scholars from research centers across Kerala, held at KKTM College, Pullut, on 14 August 2025.  

10. Attended a one-day National Symposium titled ‘On All You Have to Know About Patent’, held at Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, on 10 September 2025. 

11. Attended the three-day International Conference on ‘Reviving Wetlands, Restoring Balance – Tropical Biosummit ’25, organized by KUFOS and CTBC, held at Kochi from 19–21 November 2025.

12. Attended a two-day National Seminar on ‘From Roots to Wings: A Comprehensive Outlook on Biodiversity of Organisms’, organized by the Department of Zoology, Sreekrishna College, Guruvayur, held on 3–4 December 2025.

13. Attended a two-day workshop titled ‘Empowering Faculty and Research Scholars for High-Impact Research Publishing (Author Heroes – Elsevier)’, organized by Vimala College, Thrissur, held on 8–9 January 2026.