By Matt Olsen
February 27th was an exciting night filled with countless insects and other arthropods. The 27th Annual Insect Fear Film Festival at Foellinger Auditorium featured an insect petting zoo, an art contest for children, and two films about arthropods, Ice Crawlers and The Black Scorpion.
One of the festival’s main attractions was the 1957 classic The Black Scorpion. The film is about a gigantic scorpion wreaking havoc on a Mexican village.
When asked about how realistic the film was, Dr. May Berenbaum chuckled and said, “What’s less than not at all?”
The main lobby was packed with people of all ages but was especially crowded with young children. Kids flocked to the insect petting zoo to examine lubber grasshoppers, hissing cockroaches, and horseshoe crabs. Gwynn Puckett, a graduate student in the Department of Entomology, worked the petting zoo for most of the night.
“The petting zoo is really good at showing kids insects aren’t threatening,” Puckett said.
Puckett held one lubber grasshopper in her hand, while another rested on her shoulder, and explained what made the insect unique. The lubber, scientifically named Romalea guttata, is a particularly large species of grasshopper that is unusually calm. Its quiet nature makes it ideal for experimentation, Puckett said.
Four-year old Jack Minor said the grasshopper was his favorite insect, but that he would not pet it.
Jack’s father, John Minor, said he was very impressed by the festival. “It’s a great time. I’ll bring the kids, let them see the bugs. They love them,” Minor said.
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