In the basement of WVU Davis College’s Agricultural Sciences Building, creatures of the night lurk, gnawing on leaves and decaying matter, hissing and clicking, growing in size and number. It’s not an infestation or a six-legged uprising in the making — it’s the WVU Arthropod Museum and Insect Zoo, and its crawlies aren’t as creepy as you might expect. Founded in 2007 by professor of entomology Yong-Lak Park and research assistant of entomology Vicki Kondo, the WVU Insect Zoo was first established with just a handful of bug-eyed residents with the intention of filling a niche that was previously lacking in the state.
Since then, it has provided a unique opportunity for students and visitors to get an up-close look at different types of insects and learn about the important roles they play in the ecosystem. “We think it’s important for people to recognize insects and know something about their importance in the ecosystem, and give people a chance to see some different types of insects and arthropods,” said Kondo. “I think there’s a little bit of something for everybody.
” Made up of about 25 species, the insect zoo is an ever-changing snapshot of invertebrate species from right in your backyard to the deepest forests of Madagascar. The zoo’s residents currently and have previously included the New Guinea spiny stick insect, black widow spider, giant Southeast Asian centipede, goliath bird-eating tarantula, blue death feigning beetle, dairy cow isopod and.