Insect cultures maintained in entomology labs can teach much about the private lives of pests like these fire ants. Our tour of the Rollins center will include visits to a variety of insect cultures. Photo by Joanie King.
Registration is now open for the 2018 Master Volunteer Entomology Specialist class. This year the class will be held in College Station, TX at the Rollins Urban and Structural Entomology Facility on the Texas A&M University campus.
This year’s host is Dr. Robert Puckett, urban entomology specialist at Texas A&M University. This year’s program is a very packed three full days of training, from 1:00 pm Monday September 10, to noon on Thursday, September 13. Cost for the program is only $200 and will include some meals, snacks, and entomology supplies (Bugkit) for collecting and observing insects.
Please click here to fill out the short registration form.
Transportation. We rely on participants to provide their own transportation for travel to local insect collecting and possible field trip sites. Participant should be prepared for outdoor activity and dressed appropriately. We recommend long pants and shoes with socks, long sleeved shirt, sunscreen, insect repellent, flashlights or headlamp, and any other personal items you require.
One of the highlights of MVES-College Station is a visit to the entomology museum. Here, Dr. John Oswald of the Entomology Department discusses how the museum operates to an MVES class.
Auditing the Class. Any volunteer who has previously completed the MVES training and would like to audit an individual class day this year, will be charged a $20 fee per day which only applies to T and Wednesday classes ($40 for two days) to cover costs of meals, snacks and drinks (no collecting supplies). Please pre-register for the number of days that you plan to attend. Only 5 auditing slots each day are available.
Monday, Sep. 10
Welcom and introductions – icebreakers
Entomology 101
Insect Orders and microscopy
Tuesday, Sep. 11
Urban Entomology and Rollins Facility Tour
What’s in your bugkit?
Insect photography
Bee Lab visit/honey tasting
Solitary bees and pollinator conservation
Beneficial insects and biological control
Ants
Dinner at Lab/Travel to Lick Creek Park
Nighttime collecting @ Lick Creek
Wednesday, Sep. 12
Collecting and Practice Photos at Horticultural Gardens
Landscape and Ornamental Insect Pests
Using Dichotomous Keys
Insect Specimen Preparation
Visit to A&M Entomology Collections
Thursday, Sep. 13
Specimen preparation
Ento Projects & Getting your Ento Specialist Pin
Forensic entomology
