The group of Experimental Ecology studied host-parasite interactions at different levels, from ecology to population biology, evolution and genetics.

The group has always been interested in the interactions between hosts and their parasites, as viewed from different angles. Research was done in the field, the laboratory, at the genetics lab bench, or with some modelling. This included ecological work, advanced molecular technologies, as well as statistical and computational methods. The major study subject are large pollinators, the bumblebees, and their infectious diseases, such as trypanosomes or microsporidia. But the group has also worked on flour beetles (Tribolium), and, through its various members, on other beetle species, plants, snails, or with theory. The group of Experimental Ecology has formally been closed down by September 2016 due to the official retirement of Prof. Paul Schmid-Hempel. Nevertheless, the scientific activities continue in these areas.