I grew up in the middle of a corn field. Living on a farm you see many different creatures from spiders, mosquitos, and butterflies. It seemed that every year there was a new insurgence of some creature. One year it was grasshoppers. You couldn't walk outside in flip-flops in the grass without getting a grasshopper underneath your foot. Then one year we had toads everywhere. My cats and dog enjoyed playing with those. We had ones about the size of a quarter to about the size of my fist. But there was one year where we had the attack of the Asian Lady Beetle or Harmonia axyridis. This insect is not natural to the United States. It was brought in for pest control. They eat aphids that can be harmful to agriculture, but now they themselves have become a pest. They started becoming a problem in the 1990s. I remember being at home and seeing so many in the windowsill. It was typical to find them crawling on my walls or near my windows. I had a playhouse, but it was taken over by Asian Lady Beetle corpses. This goes to show some of the effects that biological control can have.

I would like to take this opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings about my experience this semester in Entomology. For one, this class was not something I was originally very interested in and looked at it more as a chore. I was pleasantly surprised how much I actually liked learning about insects. There were so many fascinating things we learned this semester. One of my favorite topics was the different systems inside of insects. Many of their systems are actually pretty similar to that of humans but they also have many differences. The fact that insects have three guts for example and can have multiple hearts was pretty cool to learn about.

Right now I am currently in Teachers College, on my way to hopefully become an elementary school teacher. I can use the material and knowledge I have gained to educate my future students. We should all really take the chance to learn more about insects because they are everywhere around us. Taking the ENTO lab along with this course really helped me to also become more comfortable handling and dealing with insects. At the beginning of the semester, I refused to touch any of the insects that we interacted with. By the end of the semester, I had no problems picking up and handling the insects and preparing my insect collection for the end of the year. While there are still many insects I have no desire to touch, my knowledge and experience with insects has helped me to better understand these small animals. I would highly recommend taking this course as well as the lab to any student at UNL. Like I said earlier, I had no desire or prior knowledge to entomology. But now that I have taken a semester to learn more, I have found how insects impact our lives and how important and fascinating they really are.

ENTO 115

Hello everyone!

My name is Hailey Walton and I am currently finishing up my Junior year here at UNL. I am in this class as a requirement, however I think that it is one of the more interesting and hands on learning experiences i've had this year! I am an Elementary Education student and at first I thought it was interesting that this class was a requirement. However, now I realize that a lot of the information learned here relates to information I learned back when I was in elementary school. For instance, when I was an elementary age student, I remember doing projects with rolly pollys and also with butterflies. For the butterfly experiment, we received caterpillars and then observed them over a period of time until they hatched into butterflies. Also, another connection I made between my major and this course was from a practicum experience I had earlier this year. I was teaching my 4th grade class during reading. The article that they were reading was about BT corn and the benefits and consequences from it. Each student then had to take a stance on this issue. Looking back on it now, it is interesting to see just how much of this courses information is really incorporated into reading and science lessons in the classroom today!

A couple of new articles that may be of interest:

Are bed bugs repulsed by certain colours?

Neonics 'not equally harmful' to bees

Hey everyone, my name is Ben Wolf and I am actually an accounting major. I took this class not only because I needed an elective to wrap up my undergrad here at UNL but because I have always had a fascination with Insects. Through grade school my Dad worked at the Lincoln Children's Zoo, which was an awesome place for your Dad to work when your a kid. I got a lot of behind the scenes views of the Zoo. Although my Dad was a horticulture major and mostly worked with the different types of plants at the Zoo, he also has a fascination of insects and was asked to help construct and manage the Butterfly Pavillon in the Zoo. I learned a lot about butterflies through this and even helped my older brother with his high school science fair project, which he did on butterfly chrysalis. A few years back I started working on a landscape crew and observed a lot of different insects and found myself not only admiring  insects but also finding respect for the less appealing ones. I decided I should take a Entomology class at UNL the next time I got a chance, and while it was some years later here I am.

ENTO 115

I am a student in Insect Biology this semester! It has been a great learning experience, especially when we kept the insects as pets. I am in this class to continue working towards a degree in Forensic Science. At first I was grossed out when I heard that I needed to take a bug class to earn my degree, but being in this class and the lab has completely changed my outlook. I have learned so much throughout this journey, and I am definitely more comfortable with bugs than I was before. I really enjoy when I see different insects and I am able to identify them, or I know different aspects about them that I have learned in class. With my forensics degree I would love to work on a CSI team or do anything in the criminal justice system. I think that my knowledge of bugs in this field will be especially helpful. The next entomology class that I will take is Forensic Entomology and I am very excited to be in that class as well. Now that I know the basics of entomology, it will be awesome to further my knowledge in the field that I am interested in. I would recommend this science class to anyone who is looking for an enjoyable class. It is a lot to learn and memorize, but I think that it has been very beneficial to me and to the others who have taken the class.
Kylie Ham

Hello! My name is Amanda Barkes and I took the Ento115 class this semester to complete an ACE requirement. I found this class to be really interesting and thought all of the information was presented very well. I enjoyed how interactive this class was especially for it being an online course. It was exciting to observe the different bugs that we got. I especially enjoyed having the hornworm because it was interesting to watch him change and grow. All and all this class was very interesting!

Plankton

Boaz poses a great question! Why are Plankton not insects, when they look very similar? It all has to do with taxonomy. There are many species of plankton, just as there are insects, and some of them are not even in the Animal Kingdom, as insects are. Of those species that do belong to the Animal Kingdom, they fall in Class Crustacea, and are related more to lobsters or shrimp than insects.

To see the wide variation of Kingdoms, Phylums, and Classes in which Plankton fall, check out this website.

What’s good everyone, this is Boaz joseph from class. Not to sound so demanding but I was wondering why aren’t Planktons more involved in the insect group?  I understand Planktons are made up of animals and plants basically the planktons organisms are the most abundant life form on earth and play a crucial role in the marine food chain but don’t that goes same for insects? Since they are in the same category why aren’t they mention? 

Hello everyone,

My name is Shelby Chapek and I am a junior here at UNL.  My major is Communication Studies with a minor in Film Studies and Psychology.   I took this class to fulfill an ACE requirement and I heard this class was one of the best options.  I am also taking the lab which has been very helpful.  Most of the bugs we discuss in lecture are also part of the lab.   When I began this class I had a limited amount of knowledge about insects.  Now I feel like I can walk down the street and identify different insects and understand their behaviors. This is a class that I will recommend to fellow students looking for a science with a lab.

Hey Bloggers! My name is Maci Hunke.  I am a freshman here at UNL and just recently declared my major to Elementary Education.  I took ENTO115 because it fulfilled my science requirement for my major.  I will be taking ENTO116 next semester to fulfill my lab requirement.  There were other options I could take to fulfill the lab requirement but I enjoyed 115 and found it interesting enough to continue learning about insects and take ENTO116 as my lab requirement.  I regret not taking them both at the same time, but I can only live and learn from my mistake at this point.  Before taking ENTO116, I had no knowledge about insects and actually despised them.  Now, after having two pet insects and learning what good use insects can be, I find them very interesting and know how important they are to our environment.  I not only learned about how beneficial they can be, but also how harmful they can be.  As the end of the semester approaches, I will take my knowledge I learned about entomology and use it periodically throughout the rest of my life when I'm helping my dad farm and when I have a garden of my own.  I will also recommend this course to future freshmen who ask me to help them with their schedule.  

Memorable class

Hello,
My name is Ben States and I am now attending the University of Nebraska Lincoln as a Marketing major. As a requirement I needed to fulfil a course in science and an entomology class was recommended to my by a friend of mine. I was definitely unsure about enrolling in a class about insects as I am usually not ecstatic to see or touch them but I took the course being interested in the idea of broadening my horizons. With the semester coming to close I couldn't be more happy with my decision I learned numerous things on different topics of insects and their behaviors and i will have the memory of taking care of two different pet bugs. This class will always be a memorable one that I can tell my kids about as well as recommend to my friends.
Thank you,
Ben States

Hey everyone.
My name is Erin Ellis and I'm a junior Elementary Education major here at UNL. I took this class because my major requires that I take a science course that has a lab associated with it to fulfill one of my ACE requirements. I took this class with the Entomology lab and I found that it was extremely beneficial to be taking both classes at the same time. The material that we covered in this class helped me understand in more depth what we were discussing in my lab. When I first started this class I had absolutely no interest whatsoever in Entomology because insects kind of gross me out. But as I've gone through this class I've learned to appreciate the subject of Entomology and keep an open mind when it comes to ACE courses.

ENTO 115

Hello my name is Olivia Boender and the reason I took ENTO115 was because it was an ace requirement. I am majoring in family science and minoring in psychology. I am also in the ENTO lab which I am currently trying to catch 35 different insects which is a lot harder than I thought. I have learned a lot about insects that I didn't know before. I didn't know that butterflies had a different name than just butterfly. After I receive my degree I plan on becoming a drug and alcohol counselor. I have always loved helping people with there problems. Being in ENTO I learned that insects and humans have more similar characteristics than I thought. When we got the cockroaches for this class I was terrified of it and was scared it was going to get out. Well it ended up getting out and to this day I still have no idea where it is. It creeps me out that it is loose in my house but I just hope it is dead by now. I got a male cockroach for that purpose because if it were to get out it couldn't have babies. I still have no idea how it got out because it was in a container with a lid and a plate over it. Something tells me that someone is pranking me but all my roommates told me that they didn't touch it. All in all though I enjoyed this class and how much I learned about insects.

Entomology 115

Hello, my name is Lucy Koch. I am a junior English and Ethnic Studies double major with minors in History, Business and African American Studies. While Entomology doesn’t exactly have a home in any of those categories, and while I did take it for my ACE science credit, I have found it to be much more interesting that I would have assumed. Personally, I found caring for the insects to be one of the more enjoyable parts of the class. When I received my cockroach I was admittedly terrified, but after naming him and feeding him strawberries on a weekly basis, I realized cockroach care wasn’t too difficult. The more interesting insect assignment was the care of the Tobacco Hornworm solely because it was intriguing to see the different stages of metamorphosis physically take place. I took the lab while simultaneously taking the online course and I think learning the two together was extremely helpful, especially when it came to taking exams. Overall, my experience with both ENTO 115 & 116 has been very positive and while I didn’t expect to get much out of this course, and while I’m unsure of how I’ll definitively use what I’ve learned in the future, I do have a new appreciation and understanding of insects and their purpose. 

Entomology post

Hello everyone,

I'm Mikayla Kreifels and I'm a sophomore here at UNL and I am an accounting major. I took this entomology course for an ACE. I have really enjoyed this class and learning about insects. I think learning how insects work can help us learn how humans work as well. My favorite topic that we learned was the different systems and how they work. I think it is interesting how many similarities insects' systems have compared to humans. One of my friends recommended that I take this course and I am very glad I did. Overall, I think this course has been very intriguing and I'm surprised at how much I have learned about insects over the semester.

Mikayla

Ento 115

Hello I'm Haley,

I'm currently in Entomology 115 for my science ACE at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I'm currently enrolled in CASNR for Hospitality Restaurant Tourism Management and minors in business and leadership. or also known as HRTM.  I will be going to Yellowstone this summer for my Supervisory second internship for my major. When I found out I would be going to Yellowstone I was super excited, I wanted to take Ento because I know living up there for 3 months I might be running into a lot of different kinds of insects. My favorite section we learned about was the Genetically Modified Insects. I have done a project on Genetically Modified food for a foods class last year, so I think this was kind of a connection for me to relate to this through. I also really liked having the cockroach and tobacco hornworm in my room this semester because I liked watching them do random things. My cockroach always tried to push the lid off of the container I had it in for its habitat. The tobacco hornworm I liked watching it go through its Instar stages and get really big and watch it get very bright and colorful! I'm very satisfied with what I have taken and gotten out of this class, I hope more people take this class and learn from it even if they are "just taking it for their ace".

Entomology 115

Hello Everyone!

My name is Alyssa Lund and I am currently a freshman at UNL. I am a psychology major Pre-Law, with a minor in criminal justice. Originally this class was meant to fulfill an ACE requirement, but after learning more about Entomology at UNL I am very interested in the topic. I have also been enrolled in Entomology 116 this semester and taking both classes at the same time was extremely beneficial. I have learned that taking the two courses side by side allows for a lot more exploration of topics that were skimmed over in one class and submerged in the other class. Although my ideal career of choice would be a lawyer, this class has taught me how to keep a broadened mind when it comes to ACE requirements, and that all areas of study are beneficial to learning and thinking methodically. I have overall really enjoyed this course.

Alyssa Lund

ENTO 115 Post

Hello,

My name is Travis Sedlak, I am majoring in accounting with a minor in management. I took this class for an ACE requirement and for an elective. A couple of my friends have taken this class in the past and they said it was a very cool and interesting class, so I wanted to see what it's all about. I have always found a general interest in insects, by taking this class it has raised that interest and I have learned so much that I didn't know before. My favorite part of this class was being able to own two insects, a cockroach and a hornworm. It was really cool to watch them grow and see how they acted. This class has exceed my expectations and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to know about insects.

Blog post

Hello,

My name is Christine Kelly and I'm an advertisement and public relations major with a minor in software development and communications.  I took this class for an ACE, because I heard it was very interesting.   I have alway like animals and insects so I was glad to further my education on insects through this class.  One of my favorite lessons in this class was forensic entomology.  In high school, I really wanted to go into the forensic science field and did a research paper about different kind of forensics.  So I'm really glad I was able to learn more about forensic entomology during this class.

Christine

Hello,

I'm Kennedy Stowater. I'm a broadcasting journalism major with emphasis in political science, English and music. I originally took this class to complete the ace because I needed a science class with a lab, but I have learned a lot and have become interested in the subject. I feel like I am a more well-rounded student taking different classes besides ones within my major. The last time I learned anything about insects was probably 7th grade, and a few things came back to me, only in more detail, as the semester continued. Many of my friends recommended I take this class because you learn things you won't forget. My favorite lessons during the semester were probably modules 1 and 2!

Entomology

Hello!! My name is Faviola Meza and I'm a Senior who will be graduating in May with a Bachelor's in Spanish and a minor in Child Youth and Family Studies. My plans after graduation will be to move back home to Omaha and I will be attending Clarkson College for a nursing program. Reason why I took this class was because one of my friends recommended it to me for an elective. Now that I am taking the class it seems very interesting. I learned that insects are used to determine how long a corpse has been dead and I never knew that forensic scientists had to work and learn about entomology as well. I have previously looked into becoming a forensic scientist which is why I find it interesting but then I realized I wouldn't be able to be in a room with a dead body so it wasn't for me.

Entomology Post!

The semester is already coming to a close and I've learned a lot more than I ever thought I would about insects.  My name is Ty Betka.  I'm a senior Political Science major, so you can imagine... bugs are the last thing on my mind at this point.  However, this class has sparked a little more of an interest in insects for me.  I spend much of my summers down at the lake with my friends, wakeboarding, boating, tubing, etc.  While there you see a variety of insects, most of which you might not see many other places in Nebraska.  So, i'm actually pretty excited to get to the lake this summer and see what kind of insects I can find and which ones I might recognize or know something about!

Entomology Impacting My Life In The Past Semester

Hey guys! My name is Stephanie Barnes and I am junior Hospitality major. Before taking Entomology 115 I have never taken any courses related to the study of insects. I was told to take a science class so I selected Entomology. What attracted me about entomology was the diverse number of organisms that make up the insect world. Growing up, I was never really afraid of bugs. While other girls were screaming and freaking out I always found them to be rather interesting.

I am so glad that I decided to take this class. I have learned so much information that I sometimes find myself talking about entomology to my friends. Honestly, my friends are kind of annoyed by how much I talk about insects. I really enjoy watching all of the lectures. Out of any class other class I am taking this semester, entomology has been my favorite.

My favorite lesson so far, despite just learning about it has been forensic entomology. I have always been extremely fascinated by forensic science. Learning about entomology in the world of forensics was even more interesting. I find it so cool how different insects take over the body at different times. Overall, I have gotten so much out of this class. I learned so much about insects that I don’t want to stop. I would recommend this class to anyone in the future.

Entomology 115 Blog

Hi, my name is Pierce Edman and I am a Junior Business Administration major from Sioux Falls, SD. I am taking this course because I had open electives hours left and a friend recommended this class to me. He explained how I would have to take care of different insects throughout the semester. I thought that this class sounded interesting and would be a nice change of pace from just another class in CBA. Entomology has been a great experience and has taught me a lot. I found it particularly interesting when we compared human physiological systems to the insect's systems.

Entomology Blog

Hi, my name is John Trueblood and the reason I am taking this class is because it is an ACE class that I thought would be interesting. I've always been interested in insects.  I think it is cool how they have similar parts to humans, just in a smaller body. After college, I plan on becoming an accountant.  However, I am glad I took this course because I became more aware of the types of bugs that are in this world and how they act.  I thought this course was very interesting, and I kind of want to learn more about how animals act too because I learned how insects act. I've watched different documentaries on insects and animals, and I am super interested in the way they act like they do and how their bodies work.

Hey guys! My name is Ashley Kontor and I am a sophomore pursuing a degree in Accounting and Finance. I am taking Entomology 115 because I needed another elective and I wanted to take a class that was interesting. One of my friends that had previously taken this class had mentioned to me that this was a great class because it was interesting and used hands on learning to teach the material. I am so glad I took this class because I have actually found it very interesting! At first, I was worried since bugs are my favorite thing but I soon learned that I didn't mind them as much as I thought. After taking this course, I can now properly name different types of bugs and identify the class that they belong too. The main topic that I found very interesting to learn about during this course is the differences between the systems of a human and insect. Overall, I have really enjoyed this class and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun way of learning about something interesting. It is a great course with very good professors!

--Ashley Kontor

Hello, my name is Carrie Cable and I am a Junior studying Advertising and Public Relations here at the University. I had to take a science class for one of my Aces and I always loved bugs growing up so I decided that I would try out Entomology and I am happy that I made that decision. Growing up, I used to beg my mom to allow me to stay up late so that I could go out and catch lightning bugs on humid summer nights and keep them in a jar. I have had a countless number of pets and a love for all animals ever since I can remember. Taking care of a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach came easy to me (even though they freak me out) because it was easy to maintain and I have had multiple types of small animals in the plastic terrarium that he lived in including a hermit crab, a fish, and a hamster. I never knew about the biology of insects before taking ENTO 115, but I find it very interesting when it is opposed to human anatomy. Learning about these beautiful creatures, no matter what the size, has proven to be enjoyable for me this entire semester.

Hi, my name is Saeyoung Byun and I am an Elementary Education major at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Before I took ENTO 115, 116 classes, I was not interested in insects at all. But the more I learn about insects, the more I am interested in them. I found them to be rather interesting and unique. One thing I found very interesting about insects is their social behaviors. Termites and ants leave trails and communicate with each other using pheromones as chemical signals. Social insects work together to find food and other resources, and communicate their location to others in the community. They can mount a vigorous defense of their home and resources when under attack. They can outcompete other insects, and even larger animals, for territory and food. Social insects can quickly construct a shelter, and expand it as needed. They can divide chores in a manner that ensures everything gets done expeditiously. I think insects’ social behaviors are awesome!

Hello Everyone! My name is Sydney Svoboda and I am a sophomore pursuing a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. I am taking Entomology 115 and 116 because it is an ACE requirement. However, I have found that I am enjoying everything that I am learning about in this class. I find it particularly interesting that many humans (including myself before I took this class) only know insects by the general name that is given to them, for example, a roly poly or centipede. I am proud to say that I now know to classify a roly poly as belonging to the Malacostraca Class and Isopoda Order, while the centipede belongs to the Chilopoda Class. Overall, I have had a blast in this class and have learned so much. I would highly recommend this class to anyone who is looking for a fun and hands on (only if you want to hold the tarantula, which you should because she is nice)  learning environment with great professors!

-- Sydney Svoboda

5 Strange Insects

Who doesn't love abnormalities? Today, I wanted to explore and showcase some not-so-everyday insects. These insects are strange and fascinating and have some really cool features that are worth learning more about!


5. Brazilian Treehopper

This is one of the strangest looking bugs on this list! This insect feeds on sap from tree stems. It lives in tropical areas and are similar to cicadas. The strange spheres on its head seemingly have no function at all. The only possible hypothesis is to scare of predators, otherwise it just makes it one odd-looking insect.

4. Puss Moth Caterpillar

This creepy masked caterpillar uses mimicry as a defense. Mimicry means the insect will mimic another more dangerous insect in order to protect itself. When touched, this caterpillar will reveal a face, and the face will follow you. It's even spookier in person.

3. Atlas Moth

Although average looking in its caterpillar strange, this moth is the largest in the world with a 10 inch wingspan! These moths are nicknamed 'Cobra Moths' because at the tip of each wing there is a resemblance to a snake. This is a great defense strategy for the moth if flying away with those giant wings isn't enough!

2. Antlion

This insect is also called a Doodle bug because it resembles a doodle in the sand. The Antlion will build traps in the sand to capture ants and other small bugs to eat.

1. Elephant Beetle

Elephant Beetles are covered in microscopic beetles, mostly found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. The large horns are used for defense and fighting between males.



Sources: 
http://listverse.com/2013/03/10/10-insects-that-belong-in-an-alien-world/
https://sumsphere.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/atlas-moth.jpg
http://list25.com/25-creepiest-insects-from-around-the-world/4/
http://www.welikeviral.com/creepy-insects-freak-gonna-make-scream.html

Blog by Taylor Hogan

Hey ya'll,

I am a senior animal science major graduating soon in May! I did a research internship with Wayne Ohnesorg at the Madison County Extension office in Norfolk, NE. I worked with him on his PhD project. His project was to show if there would be beneficial arthropod movement into an adjacent crop field from a prairie based off of how many times the native prairie was cut. If it was cut once twice or not at all how that would affect their movement. I was with him for two years of his project. I went out and set up the plots and I collected all of the insects using different types of traps. I learned so much about insects when we began to identify them under the microscope. I got to see up close and personal all the different shapes, size, and colors of these different insects. I was amazed to find out just how hard it is identifying insects. They get as detailed as a hair on their tooth to identify them! Studying different insects also helps with animal science in regards to disease control and beneficial or harmful insect knowledge to certain animals. For instance if horses eat too much of blister beetles they will die. It is important to learn about insects to be able to properly manage animals or be involved in animal science. I began to spark an interest in entomology and thus lead me to the entomology 115 class at UNL.

Thank you for listening,

Jenna Brown

Elle Banghart's Guest Blog

Hello! My name is Elle Banghart and I am a Junior in Entomology 115. I am studying Special Education and Elementary Education. I am taking this class because its an ACE requirement but I can see how this class could potentially benefit my students in the future. I was thinking about using this class along with the lab to integrate a bug unit for students to participate in. I could even keep my bug collection that I am doing in 116 to show students all the different bugs I am collecting for my final collection. Bugs have always grossed me out, but this class kind of pushes you out of your comfort zone with trying to interact and observe bugs. Cockroaches have always scared me, but interacting and seeing the cockroach eat and move throughout its habitat was interesting. I named my cockroach Rihanna and she ended up being very active throughout observation. Without taking this class, I would not have the new found knowledge that I do about different insects!

Jasmine Franssen Guest Blog!

Hello, my name is Jasmine Franssen I am currently enrolled in Ento 115 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I am an Early Education major and hope to teach a kindergarten or first grade classroom! I feel that my time spent studying Entomology will tremendously help when I am in the classroom with kiddos!
Many young students are fascinated with bugs and everything to do with them! With the knowledge that I gain from this class I will be able to explain to my students more about their favorite bugs. I would like to have an activity set up in my classroom for us to learn more about butterflies! I could even set up a day where we could go look for butterflies in the school yard. They would be able to do research about these butterflies! We could even have a pet butterfly! We could first start out with a caterpillar and we could watch as it transforms into a butterfly! This would be a great introduction to metamorphosis.
I think this need to have an activity like this in my classroom came from our pet hornworm! I have fully enjoyed being able to watch the process of metamorphosis come alive! Everything has more meaning when you are able to watch and interact with the content!
I cannot wait to bring Entomology into my classroom!

Hello Everyone! My name is Katrina and I am currently a freshman at UNL enrolled in Entomology 115. When I was younger I would always play with bugs and catch them and build habitats for them in jars. I thought it was so much fun to watch them crawl around and explore what I had just created for them. For Entomology 115 we had to do something similar, but with a cockroach. Bugs have never made me nervous and I usually do not mind being in their presence, but being around a cockroach was a different story. Providing a habitat of a plastic terrarium with coconut husk laid on the bottom was fun to put together, but handling the cockroach made me slightly nervous and I was not entirely sure how I should handle one. I named my cockroach lil Squish because she was not very little and my roommates wanted nothing to do with my new pet, but squish her. It took me a couple of days to become comfortable with my new pet and towards the end of my three week period with her I realized that cockroaches could be considered a perfect pet to own. Cockroaches do eat more than you would expect, but they will eat mostly anything I learned so there is no need to go to a pet store and purchase fancy food. You do not have to clean cockroaches because there are small bugs that live on the cockroach and constantly clean him/her. I never would have expected to have owned a cockroach as a pet, but after doing so I have learned a lot and that having one as a pet is quite enjoyable! 

Many of the students in the introductory entomology course at UNL, Insect Biology 115, are going to be guest blogging here on my site. Thanks for giving these raptorial legs a bit of a break. We look forward to hearing about your own adventures with insects!  ---Psyche the Mantis

Entomology and my life

Hello Everyone! My name is Timmatha and I am currently a junior at UNL majoring in Elementary Education. So first I can tell you some interesting things about myself. First, I have an amazing 18 month old son who is more than curious about bugs. Matter of fact he decided to eat two beetles the other day. I freaked out and scooped out the chewed up beetles from his mouth just for him to say "Yum mama!!!". That definitely lightened the mood! Before this class you could say I wasn't particularly fond of certain insects. I was and am still absolutely terrified of spiders, but have grown to be a lot more interested and fond of other insects. I have truly become the most interested in metamorphosis within insects and how it works. I didn't really understand the process before and I truly never knew not all insects went through it. I also thoroughly enjoyed our Hissing Cockroach study. I was very nervous to get mine as I heard some could be pregnant and some had even gotten out. I was worried about it getting out at night and crawling on me in my sleep!!!!! Thought I wasn't too excited the day I came home with it, my son was ecstatic. All he ever wanted to do was look at it and feed it. He liked to look at it at nighttime and watch it move around everywhere. Also, the food choices that were experimented were chosen completely by my son! Though I grew to really enjoy Tom, I knew I still didn't like him enough to keep him (as much as my son may have wanted to). But it did give me more appreciation for the animals I once just thought were gross.

Since I am majoring in Elementary Education I really think it is important to impact my students and get their attention. I don't want their year in my room to just be another year of school without anything truly memorable. I chose to take this class because I knew I would have to learn about and interact with certain insects I wouldn't have before. I wanted to learn more about them to hopefully in my future create a fun experiment with my students as well. In my practicum last semester they watched caterpillars turn into butterfly's and that was truly the highlight of each child's day. No matter if the student enjoyed the subject or not, it was truly interesting for them to be able to watch that and then release them. I am a firm believe in hands on learning and this is such a great way. It gets students engaged and really working with what they are learning about. It isn't just a video or a page in a book. With an in class experiment they will have to make their own hypothesis and actually collect their own data which in return is going to help them pay thorough attention. I hope this can not only help me with my future in teaching but as well as a mother. I want to be able to educate my son when his curiosity is running wild. I want to be able to "get down and dirty" as some would say and enjoy those exciting hands on moments!