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Article for: The Davis Enterprise
Date: April 18, 2003
Author: Mackenzie Tysell
Contact: Tom Wickersham

EDIBLE INSECTS!

They can be garden pests or garden helpers. Honey givers or tomato moochers. Bloodsuckers or fruit tree pollinators. But are they good for you? Probably one of the most surprising factoids that visitors to Explorit Science Center's newest exhibition "What's the Buzz? Insects around Us" will learn is just how many insects we mistakenly eat.

In your lifetime you will probably consume over one pound of insects. You probably have never intentionally eaten an insect, however your insect consumption adds up. Insect pests that infest granaries are milled along with the grain and end up in your bread. Small grubs and other tiny insects can be found in your fruit and vegetables as well.

It is practically impossible that you have not ingested insects in one form or another during your lifetime. It probably did not harm you, but instead did you some good by providing extra protein in your meal!

While visitors to "What's the Buzz?" won't have the opportunity to sample real insects, they will have the opportunity to weigh out and see just how big one pound of insects really is. If they feel like they've fallen behind in their insect consumption, the Explorit Store may be able to help. The Store sells HotLix sugar free candies in a variety of flavors that each contain a real, edible cricket.

If you're not sure you want to fully embrace insect eating, here's a recipe for an edible treat that's sure to make your mouth water. Making these butterfly bites might satisfy any insect craving you're trying to repress.

Butterfly Bites Recipe
Ingredients: cream cheese or peanut butter, celery sticks, knot pretzels, pretzel pieces for antennae
Directions: Spread cream cheese or peanut butter on a celery stick. This represents the butterfly's body. Place one pretzel on each side of the celery for the wings. Use pieces of a pretzel for antennae. Enjoy your butterfly bite.

Visitors to "What's the Buzz?" will also have the opportunity to view a colony of termites, handle a roach from Madagascar, and observe which color honey bees are most attracted to. In addition to meeting and observing some live insects, "What's the Buzz?" offers dozens of activities exploring the diversity and adaptations of the insect world.

Explorit will remain open this weekend during regular public hours, which are listed below.

Explorit is grateful for the support it receives from community members. "What's the Buzz?" is supported by AgraQuest/Pam Marrone and Aspen Pest Management.

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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is "What's the Buzz? Insects around Us," which continues through Jun. 8. Public hours are Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1 to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.explorit.org or call Explorit at (530) 756-0191.