Learn all about insects

On Thursday, Oct. 4, get a glimpse of some of nature’s most phenomenal creations as Entomology Museum curator Steven Krauth gives the public a peek at the university’s collection of 2.5 million prepared and pinned insects.

The collection, which includes almost 15,000 species, is used primarily for research, but the butterflies, bees and beetles in the collection are also used to help inform the public about the contributions insects make to natural and urban environments.

On hand will be the museum’s menagerie of hissing cockroaches, an exotic species from a family of insects that is both a household pest and one of nature’s great recyclers, consuming debris that would otherwise provide food for biting flies and other even more undesirable insects.

Krauth’s free public presentation is scheduled Thursday, 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., 147 Russell Laboratories, 1630 Linden Drive. Depending on attendance, the event may include a walk through the museum on the third floor of Russell Laboratories.

For more information, contact Krauth, (608) 262-0056, krauth@entomology.wisc.edu