Quinn Lundberg is an intern with the marketing and communications department. He has always had a fascination with bugs, despite his mothers pleas to leave them outside. They wanted to explore others’ perspectives on bugs, and gain insight on the creepy crawly creatures.
You have the New York Times, you have the Washington Post. But how about Bugging Out (at the Science Museum)? What follows are bits of buggy conversation with my colleagues about bugs.
Rhea Boese-Colond, Biology and Public Health Crew Manager, Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center (KAYSC)
Favorite bug: Citrus Longhorn (Anoplophora malasiaca)
“[I] played a lot of Animal Crossing, and that was something you could catch in there.”
Least favorite bug: Worms (Vermes, does not have a specific scientific name)
“Worms. Anything worms. My dad also told me a really gross story when I was a kid about a worm living inside a woman’s head, that might have something to do with it…”
If you could be a bug for a day, what would you choose?
Pondskaters (Gerris lacustris), or the “fun Jesus-like moment”
Fun fact: Water striders, despite having amazing leg power on the water, are unable to walk on hard surfaces as legs do not function the same way on hard surfaces.
Cyarra Swanson, Admin Coordinator, Center for Equity and Systems Change (CFESC)
Favorite bug: Honeybee (Apis mellifera)
“[I] really like honeybees because they produce such a delicious sustenance called honey. It’s really good and can never expire, and they treat the queen like a queen, so that’s great!”
Least favorite bug: Centipedes (Scutigera coleoptrata)
“My least favorite bug is millipedes or centipedes, the one that lives in your house… I’ve been trying to appreciate it because I heard it’s good to have in your house because they eat other bugs in your house that are pesty… so I don’t try to kill them anymore, but I do still get very freaked out…I do talk to them I try to be like ‘hey you can be in my house but don’t show yourself kind of vibe.’”
If you could be a bug for a day, what would you choose?
“[I] probably would be a honeybee cause you’re busy, you’re flying around, you’re visiting different flowers, you’re collecting flowers, you’re helping out the queen”
Fun fact: Bees communicate through a dance known as the “Waggle dance” which helps communicate the direction and distance of the food source to the other bees in the colony.
Alia Carter, Professional Development Project Lead, IDEAL Center
Favorite bug: Grasshopper (Caelifera)
“[I] was at Peoples Pride… and the tiniest little grasshopper landed on my blanket, and it was super small, and had giant antennas… he just was adorable”
“Another one that I like are fireflies, because I didn’t grow up with them, and didn’t see them until I moved to Alabama and was like ‘oh my god they do exist’! I also like the enzyme that makes them light up.”
Least favorite bug: “You know, I’d have to say wasp (Vespula vulgaris). Despite having a personal bias, they have really snatched waists and are good pollinators. I really want to change my relationship with them.”
If you could be a bug for a day, what would you choose?
“I’d like to be a cicada (Cicadoidea). The little exoskeletons around, to kind of mark where I’ve been, but also, it sounds fun to just scream loudly, and that be acceptable but also that screaming has a purpose.”
Fun fact: Cicadas spend 17 years living underground, which starts when they are hatched as nymphs, and feed or suck fluids from the root of plants for years.
Demitrios Vital, Professional Development Project Lead, IDEAL Center
Favorite bug:
“My favorite bug by name would be Spud, our first jumping spider (Salticidae). And now our second one, Floofer – but I routinely call Floofer Spud because it is such a good name.”
Least favorite bug:
“When I think of my least favorite bug I think of things that have hurt me, like biting flies (Ceratopogonidae). But I don’t have anything against them. They clearly have something against me.”
If you could be a bug for a day, what bug would you choose?:
“Probably something that could fly. A dragonfly (Anisoptera) would be cool. I can dig in dirt, I can walk around, I can sit in a basement, or even sit in a corner.
Fun fact: There are more than 3,000 species of dragonflies. They belong to the order Odonata, which translates to “toothed one” in Greek, even though they technically do not have teeth!
Now, I know you are probably thinking: Quinn, you asked all these people about bugs but haven’t told us YOUR thoughts on them. Well do not fret, because here I come.
My favorite bug:
My favorite bug would definitely have to be Rhinoceros beetles (Dynastinae) which is the subfamily, but specifically Hercules beetles (Dynastes hercules). Or really most beetles honestly. I really don’t discriminate, but I think Rhinoceros beetles are just very intriguing. They also are cool to watch fight eachother… whether that is ethically sound or not in the bug world I am not sure.
My least favorite bug:
I think like many I would say house centipedes (Scutigera coleoptrata) as well, I recently found one in my boyfriend’s shower, and then mine and oh man I just kind of flushed it down the drain. Nothing against the little fellas but all those legs really just give me the creeps.
If I could be a bug for a day, what would I choose?:
I think I would go for an isopod (Isopoda), I think they are cool because they just get to curl up in balls when they are scared. I definitely know this is not accurate but they just always look like they are taking naps, which I often wish so I think that would work out well.
Bug fact:
Some aquatic and Marine Isopods are also parasites.
