| Some things just get bigger and better, and that’s the case with the Insect
Expo held annually on the University of Illinois campus. Halloween 1998 shared top billing
with the Fourth Annual Insect Expo, a cooperative event created and staffed by the
entomology community in Champaign-Urbana. In keeping with the Halloween theme, the 1998
Insect Expo featured the Halloween spider, Araneus marmoreus, on posters, t-shirts,
water bottles, and refrigerator magnets and spider rings were distributed to the 7,000
plus visitors as they entered the Expo. Volunteers from the Illinois Natural History
Survey, University of Illinois, and various state and community organizations hosted the
2-day bug fest. This year’s event boasted a new
look with many new and upgraded displays. Young and old alike laughed (and squealed) with
delight as cockroach dragsters raced for the finish line, displaying the characteristic
escape response to cerci stimulation. Visitors learned about forensic entomology, corn
IPM, and biological control at interactive displays, made arthropod hats at the crafts
tables, and were "tattooed" at the tattoo parlor. Participants in the Predator
Game, the Spider Web Toss, and the Pheromone Frenzy Game learned principles about insect
biology while having fun, and two elementary school teams and two middle school teams
competed for prizes in a "Quiz Bowl" of their entomological knowledge.
Approximately 1,000 brave souls joined the "I ate a bug" club by consuming a
chocolate-covered cricket, and insect balloons were "twisted" for other
visitors.
Insect Expo ’99 was previewed in southern Illinois on
April 22-23, when the show went on the road. The annual event on campus will in October,
possibly in a larger facility to accommodate the crowds. If you are interested in
participating in Insect Expo ’99, please contact a member of the organizing committee
and be prepared to have fun!
1998-1999 Organizing Committee
members:
Michael Jeffords (217)-333-5986, jeffords@uiuc.edu
Mark Metz (217) 333-2824, markmetz@students.uiuc.edu
Carrie Nixon (217) 244-9417, c-nixon@uiuc.edu
Susan Post (217) 244-9417, spost@mail.inhs.uiuc.edu
Susan Ratcliffe (217) 333-6651, sratclif@uiuc.edu
Lee Solter (217) 244-5047, l-solter@uiuc.edu
Sponsors:
- Illinois Natural History Survey
- Center for Economic Entomology
- Center for Biodiversity
- University of Illinois
- Department of Entomology, LAS
- Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, ACES
- Crop Sciences (ACES)
- Veterinary Pathobiology (CVM)
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