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Go 'buggy' at CU's first entomology open house

The bug caricatured in this cartoon shows how diverse insects' mouth parts can be. Ming Huang

An insect zoo, roach races, insect tattoos, insect art projects, a tour of the world-class Cornell Insect Collection with more than 5 million specimens and the opportunity to talk with scientists about their research are just a few of the activities slated for Cornell's first entomology open house, "Explore Entomology," 9 a.m- 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 16, in Comstock Hall on campus. It is free and open to the public.

"We live on the planet of the arthropods," said Linda Rayor, assistant professor of arthropod behavior at Cornell and one of the organizers of the open house. "Of the more than 2 million described species of animals and plants, insects make up over 1.1 million. We want to give the public an opportunity to enter the wonderful, diverse and weird world of insects and other arthropods."

Members of the Department of Entomology at Cornell will be on hand to share insect and spider biology, discuss the latest on: mosquitoes and West Nile Virus, how to control pests using natural enemies, invasive insect pests in New York, and how insects are used to monitor pollution in waters and the consequences of global warming.

Other activities include:

  • an invitation to bring insects and spiders in for identification;

  • an "Insect Petting Zoo" that includes Hercules beetles, (big) predatory aquatic bugs, velvet ants, cockroaches, millipedes, centipedes, dung beetles, preying mantids, butterflies, caterpillars and katydids as well as numerous spiders and their relatives, including: tarantulas, vinegaroons, scorpions, whip spiders, a black widow, a brown recluse, a yellow sac and more;

  • insect movies;

  • demonstrations on how to start an insect collection; and

  • presentations/exhibits on medical entomology, biological control, plant-insect interactions, oil spill effects on aquatic insects, fruit fly diversity.

    October 14, 2004

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