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Entomology

Department of Entomology

CFAES

Wooster United Titanium Bug Zoo

Contributed by Jeni Filbrun, program manager, United Titanium Bug Zoo

The United Titanium Bug Zoo has teamed up with the Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) to host open houses throughout the spring semester. On the second Saturday of the month, we open the United Titanium Bug Zoo to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The March open house was an enormous success with around 500 people in attendance! Family-friendly activities included a photo shoot table with the Australian walkingsticks cleverly set up to offer a fun, family photo. EGSA members were strategically placed around the classroom to offer fun facts and provide more opportunities to handle our friendly United Titanium Bug Zoo insects. We also had entomology-themed merchandise handmade by our graduate students available for purchase! We are looking forward to the next open house on May 13, when we will again coordinate with the CFAES Café in the Wooster Science Building to be open for snacks, smoothies, and coffee.

Featured Arthropod

ferocious water bugFWB

Ferocious water bug | Lethocerus americanus | www.nps.gov/articles/giant-water-bug.htm

Habitat/Range: Freshwater ponds, marshes, and slow-moving pools in streams worldwide. They are typically hidden in mats of vegetation, just under the surface of the water.
Diet: Aquatic life, including tadpoles, small fishes, insects, and other arthropods. Known to kill prey many times their own size. Grasping victims by “raptorial” front legs, they inject venomous digestive saliva into their prey. This allows them to then suck out the liquefied remains.
Lifespan: 1–3 years.
un Fact: Females lay their eggs on the backs of the males where the males will tend to them, incubating and aerating the eggs until they hatch.