(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a giant cockroach crawl up their arm will have the chance to find out this weekend at the Insect Expo being held in central Iowa. Organizers say there will be interactive displays designed to inspire us to discover new things about insects, and to teach us ways we can help to conserve them in our yards. Kirk Larsen, a biology professor at Luther College in Decorah, says it’s a family-friendly event with a focus on kids.
“There’s plenty of things for adults, too, to learn about, like the importance of putting native plants in your yard, ways that you can manage your yard that would be more pollinator-friendly,” Larsen says, “and there will be art activities, hands-on, holding live insects, if people want to do that.” While some of us may consider bugs as creepy-crawly and scary, the event is designed to be a celebration of all things insect, offering up-close interaction opportunities.
“There’s Madagascar hissing cockroaches, which are these big cockroaches that are really slow — little kids tend to love those things,” Larsen says. “They’ll have some tarantulas, which of course aren’t insects, they’re spiders, but they’re close, and giant millipedes.” Highly destructive insects like the emerald ash borer or the spotted lanternfly are vilified, while other insects like monarchs or bumble bees are subject of huge campaigns designed to help grow their populations. (Pictured on the right: Madagascar hissing cockroach (Insect Expo photo)
Larsen says insects are often misunderstood because of the few types that cause problems or cost us money. “Generally, there are very few of those types of species. The vast majority of species out there are actually very important for functioning of ecosystems,” he says. “They serve as food for other organisms like birds or fish, or they’re really important for breaking down waste, and many of them are really important pollinators.”
While most Americans don’t eat insects, they’re an important source of protein for about one-quarter of the world’s population. The Insect Expo will be held Sunday from 1 to 4 P-M at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown Exhibit Hall. The free event is an outreach effort of the North Central Branch of the Entomological Society of America, which is hosting about 350 entomologists in Des Moines for a conference this weekend. Larsen is the branch’s president.
