Thursday, July 25th 2024
Community Composting with Invertebrates: Programs, pillbugs, and people power
Giangelo “Gio” Leos, Food ED (Food Exploration & Discovery)
Sustainable living is more than a trend, but a necessary skill that permeates how we think about our food systems, soil and air quality, and relationship with the Earth. Composting is becoming mandatory in states and cities with a growing contingency of composters turning their waste into a community
resource. Composting is the new recycling and invertebrates are the gateway bug to engage diverse communities. We will explore the development of composting programs with invertebrates, working with diverse invertebrates to break down organic matter, and how community connections can be built
on the wisdom of worms, pillbugs, and springtails.
Lessons Learned from Ladybug Learning in 5th Grade Classrooms
Christine Goforth, NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Fifth grade student at fifty schools in North Carolina have been participating in the Lost Ladybug Project for the past three years as part of a research study looking at the effectiveness of providing support materials for teachers interested in bringing citizen/community science into their classrooms. We will take you into the classrooms of our case study teachers and share the lessons learned from the study so far. We will also discuss the implications for bringing similar projects into elementary classrooms
Inspiring Curiosity: Outreach Programs to Build Community
Kristin Rossetti and Matthew Standridge, Florida Museum, University of Florida
Insects are diverse, charismatic, and ubiquitous, which makes them wonderful for outreach. We discuss a variety of outreach programs designed to help the public get involved with conservation in tangible ways. From butterfly garden plantings at schools and community centers to butterfly themed beer
launches and plant giveaways, our events are always enhanced by “meet a bug” activities. Showcasing native insects allows members of the public to “meet their neighbors,” overcome fears, and opens the door to rich discussions about broader conservation work.
Bridging the Bug Gaps: Towards Integrative Entomological Collections and Educational Approaches
Joshua Kulak, Undergraduate student, Franklin & Marshall College, volunteer for the Academy of Natural Sciences and North Museum
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The Questions They Have, and the Roles We Play
Travis McEnery, Science Communication on YouTube
I examine and share what I have learned after a year and a half of making long-form spider content on YouTube. I discuss the surprising response from everyday people to the in-depth, research-focused content I’ve been creating, the current skepticism of scientists’ statements, and the importance of
communicating not just what we know, but how we know it. I also consider the roles of the research scientist and the science communicator, and especially, the critical relationship between the two necessary to overcome the barriers that currently stand between sound scientific knowledge and the everyday people who seek it.
Undergraduate Partnerships in Developing Insect Education Resources for Outreach at the Michigan State University Bug House
Amanda Lorenz, Michigan State University Department of Entomology
Thanks to a recent grant, the MSU Bug House has been able to hire two undergraduate students each summer over three years to develop educational materials and programs aligned with the Bug House’s mission. Each student writes, directs, and acts in their own short video on an entomological topic of public interest. Additionally, they contribute to the development of a one-day workshop for local teachers, the aim of which is to equip educators with the resources to integrate live arthropods into their curricula. This talk will summarize the accomplishments and challenges of these initiatives.
Abedus herberti husbandry: A Tale of Two Settings
Ian Hudson, San Diego Zoo
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Big Beetle Bounty: How we (almost) perfected the rearing of Goliathus and other giants
Jason Schaller, Albuquerque BioPark
Goliath beetles have it all when it comes to big beetle appeal: massive size, beautiful patterns, day active, long lived, hardy… yet producing decent numbers of large, healthy adults consistently has proven difficult and laborious for those attempting to do so. After 6 years of experimentation, we have
developed a rearing protocol that results in high survival from larva to active adult (84%), produces large males with comparable sizes to wild adults, and greatly reduces the overall labor and cost compared to other methods. We’ve also streamlined protocols for other large scarabs that we will briefly review.
Cracking the code of Lesina blanchardi husbandry
Renee E. Hazen, Saint Louis Zoo
Dragon-headed katydids (Lesina blanchardi) are eye-catching bush crickets with unique behaviors. As interest in the exhibition of these animals grows, it becomes crucial to establish proper husbandry protocols to ensure their well-being and to promote sustained reproduction in captivity. This paper is an overview of the husbandry requirements for dragon-headed katydids, drawing upon present literature, hobbyist’s insights, and practical experience. Topics to be covered include enclosure design, temperature and humidity regulation, dietary needs, social dynamics, and enrichment. Through consideration of
these elements, zoos and similar institutions can provide an environment that encourages the natural behaviors, robust health, and successful reproduction of dragon-headed katydids, in turn enhancing the educational value of their exhibits.
Beetle Breeding Adventures at Houston Zoo, 2023-2024
Julie LaTurner, Houston Zoo
Breeding of many species of beetles continues at the Houston Zoo. This is the story of the progress made from 2023 into 2024. A self-sustaining rainbow colony of tiny Lamprima adolphinae stags. Distribution of beetles for the first phase of US-native Dynastes for SWARM. The first Euchirus scarabs to
be raised and successfully emerge from pupation in the US. These are some of the updates we are excited to share with everyone, as well as more in-depth information about how we are preparing habitats for breeding, and our larval care routine.
Grabbing Water Scorpion Rearing by the Raptorial Claws
Kenny Hooker, Thanksgiving Point Butterfly Biosphere
Water scorpions (Ranatra sp.) are insects that inhabit slow moving or still, fresh bodies of water throughout North America. They are predatory hemipterans, gripping sticks or reeds with their hind legs and using their raptorial forelegs to capture prey as it swims past. Thanksgiving Point has exhibited water scorpions for 5 years, in mixed species enclosures as well as alone. We began to rear them in 2023, and with some trial and error have reared multiple individuals to adulthood. This paper will share our husbandry protocols and our process for rearing.
Friday, July 26th 2024
Advancing our Understanding of At-Risk Butterfly Conservation Efforts
Jaret Daniels, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
There are currently over thirty butterfly taxa listed under the Endangered Species Act as in the United States with many additional candidates undergoing species status assessments. Effective at-risk species recovery efforts require a comprehensive toolkit of diverse options, of which, ex situ strategies have
increasing become an important component. Through a nationwide assessment, we sought to update our understanding of current activities across practitioners and agency personnel, pinpoint key or emerging needs, opportunities, and barriers, and identify best practices or other resources. The results
are discussed in the context of helping to inform practice, increase collaboration, and improve conservation outcomes.
Monarchs in Arizona: A Bridge Between Worlds
Irene Dickinson Arizona Monarch Collaborative/ Desert Botanical Garden
Monarchs in Arizona have a unique migration pattern that was only recently discovered. Arizona also offers much for the monarch in terms of habitat and host plant but is facing the same plight as many pollinators around the world. The Arizona Monarch Collaborative is a new kind of effort spanning between organizations to unite under the common cause of conserving the monarch and other pollinators that are so vital to our ecosystems.
Changes to Polynesian tree snail (Partula nodosa) husbandry
Nicholas Milone, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is one of five AZA institutions housing the Polynesian tree snail (Partula nodosa). In an effort to make snail husbandry more efficient a study was started with a new style of holding container. These containers were being used by the nutrition team to prevent freezer burn on
meat items. Two different data collection devices were placed into both the old and new containers to allow the collection of temperature, humidity, and light levels. The new containers made snail husbandry more efficient by saving close to 30 minutes in labor daily. These containers eliminate the
need for any plastic wrap, and based on our calculations, reduced 1,595,050 square inches of plastic sent to the landfill.
Linking Environmental Monitoring of Partula Snail Enclosures to Population Demography
Allie Richardson, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Animal Kingdom® holds a population of Partula nodosa snails that periodically experiences population fluctuations. We implemented a data collection protocol for temperature, humidity, and light in Partula enclosures to determine if these parameters are correlated to the fluctuations. These snails
are critically threatened and it is imperative to discover the optimal environment for ex situ populations to stabilize and thrive. Preliminary findings suggest that high humidity correlates with increased mortality, and birth and death rates may be tied to seasonal changes. As we explore how environment impacts demography, we hope to establish ideal parameters to support population goals.
American Burying Beetle Husbandry: Why Dirt Ain’t Doin’ It and Why Maggoty Morsels Are
Mandy Pritchard, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Since 2017 the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has taken ABBs from the Sandhills of Nebraska, bred them in our rearing facility and reintroduced their offspring to Ohio. We have found that wild caught ABBs have a near perfect breeding success rate and produce large quantities of larvae, but the breeding
success and larval production dwindles with each subsequent generation despite avoiding inbreeding entirely. To combat this issue, we took a deeper dive into the housing and nutrition requirements of the ABB and the results may shock you!
Dealing with a (Near) Containment Breach in a USDA Quarantine Facility
Tad Yankoski, Sophia M Sachs Butterfly House
A collision between a lawnmower and a window left two broken panes of glass, and nearly breached quarantine at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Chesterfield, MO. In this presentation we’ll show the kit we had prepared to deal with this sort of emergency, discuss the challenges we faced that we were unprepared for, and give advice for future instances based on what we learned. The presentation was prepared in consultation with, and at the request of, Kirk Martin, the Entomology Containment Scientist at the USDA.
Saturday, July 27th 2024
Butterflies 2.0: Reintroducing an Audience Favorite
Hazel Davies, American Museum of Natural History
After 23 years, the butterfly vivarium at the American Museum of Natural History has moved into a new home. The move gave us an opportunity to enhance this beloved nature-focused immersive experience by introducing new technology to benefit our visitors, staff, and volunteers. Get a sneak peek at the revitalized Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium, which includes an array of new teaching tools, from updated graphics and touch models to a facilitated Dinolite microscope station and our new Field Guide app.
Mooning the Public: Care and Maintenance of Aurelia labiata
Dylan Cebulske, Saint Louis Zoo
Cnidarians have been a staple for a while at the St. Louis Zoo Insectarium in the form of corals. However, we have recently branched out into jellyfishes. These delicate but fascinating animals can make for a wonderful public display. Aurelia labiata, also known as Moon Jellyfish have unique requirements
sometimes difficult for a non-aquaria-centric institution. This paper aims to help others meet these challenges with confidence and elevate invertebrate displays to a new level.
Dermestid Beetles and Friends: more than just biofacts
Taylee Pratt, Omaha Zoo and Aquarium
Our dermestid colony has allowed us to foster relationships with our veterinary staff, other animal crews, and our education staff. While we do use the beetles to clean specimens for biofacts; we’ve had the opportunity to provide a vital resource to our vets. Through cleaning different specimens, our veterinary staff has been able to get an up-close view of skeletal issues and injuries. This has provided a unique educational tool for veterinary staff and students. We’ve also been able to give animal care staff a piece of their beloved animals back through cleaned specimens.
World of Insects
Winton Ray, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
World of the Insect – 46 years after it opened the World of the Insect remains one of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s top attractions. This presentation will provide an overview of the World of the Insect’s history, animal collection, programs and the humans that are the secrets to its success.
Leafcutters Take Manh”Atta”n
Hazel Davies and Ryan Garrett American Museum of Natural History/ Leaf House Scientific
After 5 years of dreaming and design, the American Museum of Natural History opened a leafcutter exhibit of monumental scale and complexity. Our project stands as a testament to the many challenges and rewards of bringing the unseen world of ants to museum visitors. This experience has highlighted
the critical importance of close collaboration between stakeholders, materials experts, designers, fabricators, and animal care staff. The unveiling sparked curiosity and wonder, inviting visitors into the meticulously crafted universe of Atta cephalotes and hopefully inspiring a new generation of entomophiles. But most importantly, what did the ants think?
Buggy BioBlitz as a Tool Reconnect with Nature
Kimberly A Godfrey, The Academy of Natural Sciences/ WINS Program
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Insect Diversity Along the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California
Michael Chao, student
Palos Verdes Peninsula, is a unique coastal environment supporting a mediterranean biome and is considered to be one of the hot spots for biodiversity. However, since human intervention there seems to have been a decrease in the biodiversity, including that of invertebrates. Hence, there are nature preserves and wild areas within the region to protect some of the wildlife. However, with the constant increase with the human population within the area there have been pressures to use the preserved lands as human settlements instead. With such in mind, I conducted an experiment detailing the difference in biodiversity of insects between wild areas and urban areas to determine whether keeping areas preserved is worth the great amount of land used. This was done by a series of insect collecting between a local park as the urban sample and a nearby reserve as the wild sample. Insects were collected through various methods including sweep netting and visual sighting. Then the specimens were identified back in the lab and then the total results were compared. At the end the urban area surprisingly had more species total, however considering the difference between the area of sample spaces, when the species per square feet was taken it found that species number was near similar with both areas and the wild area had a great number of individuals caught. Hence the results exemplified the importance of preserves and keeping native plants.
There’s Gold (er, Chrysos) in Them Thare Hills
John Watts, Texas Discovery Gardens
The leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) are the second largest family of beetles worldwide and the Sonoran Desert has a high diversity of species represented. This talk will introduce you to the various subfamilies and genera that live in southeast Arizona and their diverse niches in this extraordinary region. Although most species are small, they can be brilliantly colored and exhibit great potential as teachers of many ecological concepts including crypsis, aposematism, mimicry, predator avoidance, and even commensalism. Be prepared to be awestruck by this glorious group of beetles.
Effects of different insect diets on Aphonopelma seemanni growth
Zach Kaminski, West Liberty University
Costa Rican Zebra Tarantulas (Aphonopelma seemanni) were used to compare the dietary impacts of growth on tarantulas. Quicker growth may mean quicker reproduction which decreases the need for wild-caught specimens in scientific studies and arachnoculture. 8 juvenile A. seemanni were split into 4
pairs, each fed an equal mass of crickets, mealworms, dubia roaches, or a rotation between all 3. Growth was tracked through tarantula weights and molting frequency. After 12 months, the slings fed exclusively mealworms were visually obese, being on average 74% heavier than the other three pairs. Crickets had the longest mean duration between molts.
Butterfly Longevity Study: Tracking lifespans and increasing visitor engagement
Nicole Pruess, Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House
The Butterfly House entomology team started a longevity study in August 2023 and have tagged over 1000 butterflies so far to track their lifespan. This ongoing project involves staff, volunteers, and visitors observing tagged butterflies to create a dataset. The study aims to compare captive and wild lifespans, informing optimal animal care and plant selection. Visitor engagement enhances data collection, with thousands of observations and enthusiastic participation in the scientific scavenger hunt. Preliminary results show interesting trends and showcase the study’s educational and interactive impact. The study has increased visitor interest in butterflies and provides insight for exhibits and husbandry.
Scorpion Behavior Assessments: Taking the Sting Out of Behavioral Interpretation
Marissa Harrison, Thanksgiving Point Butterfly Biosphere
When our team shared conflicting impressions of scorpion behavior during their use as animal ambassadors for a Halloween event, we decided our understanding of each scorpion’s temperament was insufficient to determine if their behaviors during and after the event were abnormal. We initiated a
Scorpion Behavior Assessment to provide a baseline for future comparison. Our team jointly reviews a scorpion’s feeding habits and behavior records, and then walks it through a series of interactions to assess typical locomotion speed, defensive behavior tendencies, reaction to touch stimuli, and recovery post stimulus. Meet our scorpions and their wonderful and varied personalities!