Lindsay France/University Photography

A timid Phasir Brown, 6, takes a fried waxworm from natural resources senior Christina Hilo. Copyright © Cornell University

Lindsay France/University Photography

Karsten and Emma Dhimitri, both 7, check out a beehive.

Three floors of Comstock Hall were transformed into a multilegged extravaganza Oct. 14 for Insectapalooza 2006 -- the Department of Entomology's annual open house. Small critters -- with legs numbering six, eight and even more -- were plentiful. Cockroaches ran races, aquatic insects let visitors fish them out of a plastic swimming pool for inspection, and children and adults created crafty replicas using pipe cleaners, construction paper, fuzzy balls, glue and tape. Other features included an insect zoo, tours of Cornell's insect collection, videos and hands-on exhibits.

The "entomophagy" room of delectables was a new addition this year and very popular, according to John Losey, associate professor of entomology and a coordinator for the event. The room featured such tasty treats as sautéed mealworms, waxworms in fried rice or cake topped with a mixture of ground mealworms and powdered sugar.

An estimated 2,300 people attended Insectapalooza, Losey said.

For more images, pick up a copy of this week's Cornell Chronicle.