Around 60,000 insects will be buzzing, crawling, squirming and flying into the Bronco Student Center Oct. 15 & 16 for the annual Insect Fair. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can view live and preserved bugs on display, taste some edible ones, buy insect jewelry and talk to entomology experts.
¿People who have never been to an insect fair before are always surprised by how fun it is. It¿s really for everybody,¿ says Pat Kaae, one of the event organizers and wife of Professor Richard Kaae of the plant sciences department.
The fair will also feature live cockroach races, a beehive, and for the first time, a variety of reptiles. Vendors will sell insect-related apparel, toys, jewelry and artwork.
Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for students and children ages 3 to 12. Children under 2 are admitted free. Parking is available in lots K, B and C.
Proceeds from the event support the Agricultural Biology Club, which caters to students interested in entomology and environmental health. Students travel abroad to study, collect and catalogue foreign insects, as well as visit museums and universities. In the past, the club has traveled to New Zealand, Costa Rica, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The Insect Fair coincides with the College of Agriculture¿s annual Pumpkin Festival at the Farm Store.