There is an epidemic of entomophobia in our society today — why are so many people afraid of insects?? They’re tiny, almost all of them are harmless to humans, and they’re REALLY COOL! I think the reason folks find insects and spiders so distressing is only because they don’t know that much about them — last Saturday Market Science tried to change that 🙂
We brought in the fantastic entomology outreach group Frenatae from the University of MN to teach market goers all about bugs, spiders, bees, and more. As one of the oldest student groups at UMN, Frenatae knew how to bring in the crowds — with live insects and arachnids!
Also making appearances were a praying mantis, a crew of Madagascar cockroaches, two species of tarantulas, the amazing Death Feigning Beetles, and a scorpion. Even with all these critters, this is very small sampling of the world’s insect diversity — entomologists estimate there are between 2 and 30 million insect species out there! And we depend on them for countless ecological services, even if we don’t realize it.
Visitors had the chance to ask Frenatae entomologists all about the common insects and arachnids we see in Minnesota, and could even pick up some wildflower seeds to attract native pollinators to their yards. Lots of folks enjoyed petting the hissing cockroaches, and peering into the microscope to see some lively springtails.
Spiders share many characteristics with their 6-legged relatives, but are not insects (see why on our Trivia page). We often think of spiders as dangerous, but did you know that less than 1% pose any threat to humans? And what beautiful webs! If you stopped by on Saturday you may have had a chance to make your own spider and web to take home:
So before you step on that next centipede or spider, think about the fascinating creature underfoot, and hopefully you’ll decide to scoop them up in a glass and put them outside. They’re really not scary once you get to know them a bit 🙂
See you next Saturday!
