Tech Entomology Club intiates a buzz about bugs

Splat! Down goes another bug at the hands of an insect-fearer. For these individuals, they may not reconsider the usefulness of their least favorite bug. 

However, for the Texas Tech Entomology Club, bugs are a valuable asset to an ecological community.

President of the Entomology Club Jill Forrest, a fourth-year horticulture student from Cypress, said the main goal of the entomology club is to educate the public about insects and their benefits. 

“Our main focus is to educate the public about the importance of insects and their benefits; the things that they can do for us and what we can do for them,” Forrest said. “So many people are scared of bugs and just kill anything they see, that’s not what we want.”  

Forrest said although members of the entomology club consist of mainly Davis College students, the organization is open to anyone on campus interested in learning about the importance of insects. 

Additionally, Forrest said informing the public about entomology concepts revives the interest for the industry. 

Previously, Tech housed the Department of Entomology in 1978 before its transformation into the Department of Plant and Soil Science, according to the Natural Science Research Laboratory website. The original entomological collection’s purpose focused on researching insects of agricultural importance, an area of study now grouped with plant and soil science academics. 

“For the future of agriculture, there’s so many pests out there and our population is ever growing,” Forrest said. “We’re always gonna need to feed people, but, if you have pests attacking those plants, you’re not gonna feed people. And that’s where entomologists come in.”  

Even if an individual is uninterested in pursuing a career in entomology, Lily Prescott, Treasurer and first-year natural resources management student from Arlington, said appreciating bugs is just as valuable.

“Even if you’re not wanting to go into entomology, I think bugs are just really cool,” Prescott said. “It’s always good to have an appreciation for bugs and to teach other people.

While Tech no longer offers an entomology degree, the Entomology Club continues to host outreach events informing the public about insects and competitions for the Future Farmers of America Entomology competition. 

In this competition, students from all over Texas compete in insect identification and general knowledge competitions, Forrest said. The club’s responsibilities for this competition include sorting and providing the bugs used in competition. 

Aside from organizing competitions, outreach events hosted by the club invite audiences from all ages alike to interact with live bugs. 

Joining their activities are roaches Martha and Richard and their millipede named Ronaldo. 

“We’ve done outreach events at elementary schools,” Prescott said, “which is a great age to get them introduced to interesting animals because they’re less likely to be scared as someone who’s a bit older.” 

Echoing this idea, Entomology Club Secretary Emily Kuykendall, a fourth-year plant and soil science student from Longview, said attending events with Ronaldo eases participants' fear of bugs. When given the choice to hold a roach or an antisocial millipede, participants take a liking to Ronaldo. 

An initiative started among the organization's members is a competition to collect rare specimens missing from the specimen list. Kuykendall said while helping the club obtain rare specimens, they also receive a pizza party as a reward. 

Moreover, the organization unites bug-lovers alike and affirms the passions of students like Prescott. 

“People just think you’re weird, it’s good to be weird,” Prescott said. “When you like bugs and a lot of people hate bugs they end up disliking you, which is stupid. But, when you’ve got a good group of people that share a common interest, especially an obscure one, it's always great to have that community.” 

Aside from her secretary responsibilities, Kuykendall runs the organization’s Instagram and said she enjoys capturing people’s reactions to their live animals. 

“I also really like taking pictures of people because you get to see people’s reactions, especially when we go out to outreach events,” Kuykendall said. “People are like, “You can hold roaches?” and some people are really freaked out and some people think it’s cool.” 

Through the entomology club, Forrest discovered her interest in pursuing education. Forrest said working at outreach events with audiences of all ages strengthened her public speaking skills and reiterated the longevity of her passion. 

“If people want to join the club, it helps show them the different options that there are out there for something people mainly see as a hobby,” Forrest said. “ I competed in entomology in high school, which brought me to Tech and now here I am at Tech, designing those contests and doing outreach and education. All of that.”

The Entomology Club will attend Heritage Center Ranch Day on April 22 and The Oddities Art Market on April 29.