Mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIRS) is a well-established technique in the field of chemical analysis. Although it has been applied to problems in the entomological field for over 65 years, MIRS typically remains underutilised in this discipline. Potential applications of MIRS include profiling of cuticular hydrocarbons, taxonomic discrimination between cryptic species, sex discrimination, age prediction, detection of endosymbionts such as Wolbachia, and characterisation of the surface chemistry of insect body parts and products. The number of potential applications is expected to continue rising rapidly as MIR technology advances and it is adopted by more members of the entomological community.

中红外光谱法（MIRS）是化学分析领域中公认的技术。尽管MIRS在昆虫学领域已应用了65年以上，但MIRS通常在该学科中仍未得到充分利用。MIRS的潜在应用包括表皮碳氢化合物的分布图，隐性物种之间的分类学区分，性别区分，年龄预测，内共生菌如Wolbachia的检测以及昆虫身体部位和产品的表面化学特征。随着MIR技术的发展，潜在的应用程序数量预计将继续快速增长，并被昆虫学界的更多成员所采用。