His son Herbert Ruckes jr. also became an entomologist and specialized in the beetles found on conifer cones including the Anobiinae.
He was then made emeritus professor at the Baruch school of business and public administration.
He worked on comparative anatomy and made use of a variety of techniques including the use of X-rays to study blood vessels.
[4][5] He illustrated a textbook of general biology written by Morris Winokur in 1957.
He then worked as a research associate in the department of entomology at the American Museum of Natural History, a NRF fellow from 1959 to 1961 during which time he worked extensively on the Pentatomidae.