Hello All,

I am Kaitlin Stocking, and I am a senior Pre-med Biological Sciences major from Livermore, California.  I will be attending physician assistant school upon graduation next may.  I was interested in the course of Insect Ecology not only because it was a highly recommended class by other people who I knew took it, but I have a profound appreciation for the impact that insects actually have on our world.  I have always had sort of a passion for animals in general, stemming from having a passion for exploring the outdoors.  It is because of this Insect Ecology course that not only have I gained a further interest into learning about insects and how they interact with their surrounding environments, but from this class I have learned how important each individual insect is to our ecosystems.  In all honesty, there are still some insects that creep me out.  However, the benefits that they provide to all aspects of the world, outweigh any bad aspects that may be associated with them.  There is often a stigma associated with the Insect population on earth, being that they are just creepy organisms.  However, it is through many years of studies and research, that this is shown simply to not be true. I am truly excited to keep on learning about Insects, and hopefully I get to take another class that focuses on them in the near future.

- Kaitlin Stocking

Becoming A Beekeeper

Hi everyone! My name is Morgan and I am a senior Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication major with a focus on leadership and a minor in Insect Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I grew up in a small town about an hour away from Lincoln, NE. I never thought I would have an interest in agriculture until I chose, on a whim, to go to an FFA meeting my freshman year of high school.

I have lived in my small town my entire life and I really didn’t have much background in the agricultural industry. I first became involved in leadership event and public speaking events in FFA. My first speech I gave was on honeybees and colony collapse disorder. This speech sparked an interest in bees for me. By my sophomore year of high school, I had purchased two hives and began my own backyard beekeeping business. I was fascinated with the movement of the bees, their resilience, and their social organization. My beekeeping business became a family business and something we were all excited about! We quickly became the local beekeepers in my small town and whenever someone had a question about bees or had bees in a tree in their backyard, or wanted to buy some local honey, they came to my family.

I brought this passion for insects with me to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and I was excited to declare a minor in Insect Sciences. I have had the chance to not only expand my understanding of a variety of insects but also a growth in my appreciation of insects that aren’t black and yellow with honey producing powers.

Hi Everyone! My name is Bridget, and I am a Biology major at UNL and will be attending pharmacy school next fall. I grew up on a farm in central Nebraska, so I have always been surrounded by agriculture. I have always had a passion for animals and the outdoors. As a kid, I would roam around our pastures with my siblings and search for bugs such as caterpillars, lightning bugs, or ladybugs. The Entomology class I am currently in has re-sparked my interest in bugs, especially how they interact with the environment. I really enjoy learning how their relationships with plants and other organisms affect the world as a whole. I think a lot of people overlook the major role that insects play in the ecosystem, so it is easy to think of them as annoyances. However, after learning so much more about them, I have come to appreciate their contribution to to the Earth. I am excited to keep learning more about them.

Hello! My name is Andrea and I'm an Applied Science major at UNL. I first decided to take the course after I bought an insect ID book. I began taking that, along with my plant, mammal, and bird ID books when I went camping or hiking. I've always kind of gotten the hibbie jibbies with some creepy crawlers, so I thought Insect Ecology course offered at UNL would help me become more familiar and comfortable with insects. In fact, I'm also currently enrolled in Insect Biology and have the opportunity to keep a couple of insects as 'pets.'

Although spiders still sometimes make me jump, I've grown a different kind of appreciation for what insects do for us and Earth. I hope to one day be able to work in a national park or doing research toward environmental awareness.

-Andrea Lopez