UC Riverside Students Take Bugs on the Road

Organizers are hoping to draw the public to taste and touch insects

Share this article:

A Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (Grammostola rosea). A tarantula is an arachnid, not an insect.Photo credit: James D. Ricci, UC Riverside.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — The University of California, Riverside and the Riverside Metropolitan Museum will hold the 2nd annual Riverside Insect Fair on Saturday, April 30, with vendors, live insects and a presentation from The Bug Chef, David George Gordon.

When not cooking up insects for the likes of Neil deGrasse Tyson, Reggie Watts, and James Corden, the Bug Chef travels the country serving delicious bugs at events like the National Geographic Explorer’s Club Dinner, Ripley’s 4th of July BBQ in Times Square, San Diego ComicCon, and now, Riverside’s Insect Fair.

The insect fair is a collaboration between current and former UC Riverside entomology graduate and undergraduate students and the Riverside Metropolitan Museum. This event is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 30th outside the Riverside Metropolitan Museum, 3580 Mission Inn Ave.

Last year’s inaugural insect fair, which featured more than 60 local vendors and educators at the Riverside Metropolitan Museum in downtown Riverside, drew more than 6,000 people.

Entrance and parking are free, said Kelsey Schall, a UC Riverside graduate student who is one of the organizers of the event. “The response we got last year was tremendous. We are hoping some of those who attended and others in the community will come and make this year’s fair even better.”

More than 60 local vendors and businesses will be selling insect-related goodies and services, from toys to art to professional supplies.

Attendees will be able to touch live insects, walk through a butterfly tent, participate in family-friendly crafts and games and sample food made with insects.

What makes the fair one of the best insect fairs in the United States? The best entomology department in the US, for one. UC Riverside has one of the top ranked entomology departments in the world, with a long tradition of exceptional research,and exceptional community outreach.

Some of the world experts will be there to answer questions, in and among the 20 live exhibits. Topics include how to get rid of ants or cockroaches, the health of honeybees and other insect pollinators, zika virus and other mosquito-vectored diseases.

To learn more about the insect fair or to ask questions, send an e-mail to riversideinsectfair@gmail.com or like the insect fair Facebook page.



Archived under: Inside UCR, Science/Technology, bug petting zoo, city of riverside, insect fair, Kelsey Schall, press release, riverside metropolitan museum

Top of Page