Presentation Guidelines

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions
(Handout available in PDF.)

1. Are the specimens real?
2. Where did you get them?
3. Did you find them dead or kill them?
4. How did you get them (collect them)?
5. Are all bugs and spiders poisonous?
6. Do they all bite?
7. What is your favorite insect?
8. Why are they pinned and did you pin them while they were alive?
9. Did you collect them all?
10. Where do you keep them (live specimens)?
11. Will it still live if you chop its head off?
12. Does it hurt them if you pull their leg off?
13. What do they eat (live specimens)?
14. How come only female mosquitoes bite?
15. Do bees die after they sting you?
16. Is it illegal to kill a preying mantis?
17. How long do they live?

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
(Handout available in PDF.)

1. Are the specimens real?
   Yes, just dead. Top of page.
2. Where did you get them?
   Collected in various places around the world. Top of page.
3. Did you find them dead or kill them?
   Some found and others collected. Top of page.
4. How did you get them (collect them)?
   Nets, traps . . . Top of page.
5. Are all bugs and spiders poisonous?
   Not many insects are, but all spiders are poisonous, some just more than others. Top of page.
6. Do they all bite?
   Not many bite. Top of page.
7. What is your favorite insect?
   Personal response. Top of page.
8. Why are they pinned and did you pin them while they were alive?
   Pinned for display, to study, to identify and to show after they were dead. Top of page.
9. Did you collect them all?
   No, various students and professors collected them. Top of page.
10. Where do you keep them (live specimens)?
    UW-museum (third floor of Russell Labs). Top of page.
11. Will it still live if you chop its head off?
    No. Top of page.
12. Does it hurt them if you pull their leg off?
    Yes. Top of page.
13. What do they eat (live specimens)?
    See specimen sheet. Top of page.
14. How come only female mosquitoes bite?
    They need a blood meal to lay their eggs. Top of page.
15. Do bees die after they sting you?
    Yes honey bees do, but not wasps, ants or other bees. Top of page.
16. Is it illegal to kill a preying mantis?
    No, it is a myth. Top of page.
17. How long do they live?
    One day to a few years, the average is a season (example: summer, three months). Top of page.