Don't let the bed bugs bite!

The thought might send a shiver down your spine, but bed bugs are real—and a real problem. OARDC us a leader in bed bug research. Here's the scoop:




Want to find out more about bugs? Be on the look out! Soon we will be opening registration for our 10TH ANNUAL A BUG'S WORLD program. This is a fun, fabulous and free educational program that will take place April 11-12 this spring. Stay tuned!

AgBC's: K is for Kids

Looking for something fun to do with your kids? Your students? Precious little ones in your life? Bring them to the Wooster campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center! We love having kids visit our campus to learn more about agriculture and how it impacts their lives everyday.

Not a farmer? Probably not...less than 2% of our country's population is. But did you eat today? Thank a farmer! And thank agricultural researchers like those here at OARDC for the research and technological advancements that allow Americans to enjoy the safest, most affordable, most abundant food supply in the world.

And we love to share that story with the younger generations of kids. How?

Well, we host school groups, scout packs, 4-H groups, family reunions, summer camps and all kinds of other groups on our campus for tours all the time! And what do they do and see? We have a bug zoo, animal barns, greenhouses, laboratories, an 88-acre arboretum, a bee lab, a pollinatorium and more where our researchers are happy to share the story of their work with students.

Every April, we host a special event called A Bug's World..this year held on April 13 & 14. There are many, many fabulous learning opportunities and sessions that are only available these two days. Like what? Check out the complete listing. Plus, this event is free with lots of hands-on learning. But, pre-registration is required. So go check it out today!

Then in the fall, we host a Science of Agriculture event. Like A Bug's World, this two-day event is chock-full of hands-on learning and free as well. Only this time, the focus is not just on insects...it covers all areas of agriculture. And, the event is divided into two days...the first day is for grades k-5 and the second day is designed for grades 6-12. For a look at the kinds of learning opportunities and sessions we've offered in previous years, check here.

And for those schools who don't have the funding to make the trip to our campus, we do off-site visits to schools in need as well. From preschoolers to high schoolers, we have on-site programming designed to connect with students of all ages.

Interested in learning more? Contact us to set up a visit for the youngsters in your life to learn more about agriculture on our campus today!

This series is inspired by the book The ABC's of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond.

AgBC's: I is for Insects

We love insects here at OARDC! In fact, we are in the process of gearing up for our annual A Bug's World celebration! Each year we host nearly 1,000 elementary students over 2 days here on our campus in April...and it's a blast!

This is such a fun, hands-on event for getting kids excited about the science of entomology...plus, it's free! This year,  in order to improve the educational experience of all of our students, we will be limiting the event to students in grades 1-3. This will allow our presenters to better target each of Ohio's 6 science standards that will be addressed.

Insects are the largest animal group on the planet by far, and they play a vital role in the workings of our world. They are not just creepy-crawlies...they are exceptional, stimulating models for your students to get excited about the scientific world around them!

To learn more about the scientific standards being addressed for grades 1-3, be sure to visit our website, where you can also download a listing of sessions that will be offered as well as their descriptions.

Registration is free, but space is limited, so register early to reserve your spot in the sessions of your choice!

And yes, those who choose to do so can even taste insects at our infamous Cafe Insecta!

Bringing buggy books to life

One of the things we love to do is get kids excited about all kinds of science. And one sure-fire hit with kids is bugs. Love 'em or hate 'em (and most kids are in the love category....way more than the adults), insects and their relatives are sure to get a reaction from almost anyone.

Here at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center's Wooster campus, we are blessed with a fun, fabulous and FREE Bug Zoo. If you've never been, it's a treat. All kinds of creepy-crawlies to learn about, touch and enjoy...plus some fabulously huge arthropod props mounted to the wall our Bug Zoo caretaker Miss Judy managed to track down. It's awesome.

But obviously, not everyone is blessed to have such a resource in their home or classroom (as many of you are thinking, "Thank goodness!"). So books become a great resource for teaching kids about the science of insects. Bonus? It also helps kids get excited about reading, and bug books can be really fun non-fiction books for kids to enjoy.

One service we offer is making trips to schools who are unable to visit our campus in person because of financial or distance issues, either through our OARDC on the Road program or through our Guest Reader program. We love to read! One of our favorite books to take is My Book of Bugs. What makes it fun is that the book is only one small part of our magic box:

In addition to the book, which we definitely enjoy reading with the kids, we've also scoured convenience store bargains and our insect archive collection (not to mention our native environment: the fabulous outdoors). To find examples of the insects discussed in My Book of Bugs.

For example:

Many of these much larger than life insect models (all of which are discussed in the book) can be readily found at your local dollar or convenience store/ In fact, Target has a fabulous little collection in their dollar bins this spring, including models like these, the spongy-capsules that "grow" into insects in water and some basic bug-hunting supplies. These are great, especially if you are leery of real-life insects or you have some kids that aren't sure about the whole bug thing. The key is, the kids get their cues from you, the adult. If you are freaked out by the real-life insects, they will be, too. If you act like they are cool (even if that's not what you're really thinking), the kids will, too.

We add to that some mounted species. This is excellent for kids, because in our experience kids tend to have a lot of difficulty distinguishing the difference between "real" and "dead." I like to say these bugs are "real dead." Did you think it was funny? The kids don't normally laugh either....it's OK. For example, we bring along this mounted Atlas Moth:

And finally, what really makes this a fund experience for the kids is bringing along some real-life critters. You can find some of these locally on your own, like these crickets:

They're just super-excited to be out and about on classroom visits. Each day they spend outside the Bug Zoo is one less day they have to worry about Miss Judy feeding them to the bigger buggies. Oops! I hope they didn't hear that!

And finally, we do have in our arsenal a couple of things the average parent or teacher is not going to be able to readily put their hands on:

Recognize them? Yep, these are Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches...the very same kind made famous on Fear Factor when people would lay with them or even eat them. None of that goes on during my watch.....ick.

Besides, we have other programs during the year for eating bugs.....

But we'll save the deatils of A Bug's World for another post another time...