[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Metcalf was noted for making environmentally safe pest control achievable.
[3] Metcalf was a member of the National Academy of Sciences,[3][5] a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,[5] a member of National Research Council,[5] a fellow and president of the Entomological Society of America.
[5] He was a member of Environmental Protection Agency's Pesticide Advisory Panel.
[3] The National Center for Biotechnology Information called Metcalf "one of the leading entomologists of the 20th century".
[4] The National Academies Press called him the twentieth century’s most influential entomologist.