By Susan Schaul
Dr. Insecta brought “Rhonda,” a 4-inch long Madagascar Hissing Roach, “Morticia,” a Rose Tarantula Spider, and “Darth Vader,” a black 5-inch long Emperor Scorpion to the Cain Park Arts Festival to educate kids and parents about different kinds of insects. Right now everyone is saying Eeewwww….gross, and you’d be right. Dr. Insecta points out that we share this planet with billions of insects so it is important that we learn about them.
He started his show revealing an empty sack to his audience. After a few magic words and a dramatic swoosh of his arms, he pulled six large roaches out of his sack and placed them in a clear plastic container for everyone to see. Dr. Insecta said that Rhonda and her relatives have been around for 350,000,000 years and they can eat any food leftovers. They have a segmented shell-like back and are distant relatives to the lobster.
Two kids came on stage as Dr. Insecta talked about ladybugs. “There are boy and girl ladybugs,” he said, “and they come in red, orange, yellow, dark indigo, and even pink.” He produced three stuffed animals, toy ladybugs, proceeded to make them appear and disappear, like a magician, and asked the kids where the bugs went. The children were closely watching his hands but not able to guess correctly where the toy insects went.
This is an unusual educational business. Where did it come from? He had previous experience working as a magician and an actor. Around seven years ago, he was working on a library promotion trying to get kids to read. Taglines included “Bug Me to Read” and “Don’t Bug Me I am Reading.” From here he developed this start up business traveling to schools, science centers, summer camps, and Earth Day events to teach children about bugs. He has even visited NASA Glenn Research Center to give his presentation.
Dr. Insecta along with his wife work out of their home in Marysville, Ohio. Their insects are housed under 12-14 hours of light each day. He feeds the scorpions and spiders five crickets each a week and a bottle cap-full of water.
There are plans for Dr. Insecta to return to Cain Park next summer to present his regularly scheduled educational shows. Stay tuned. For more information visit http://drinsectabuglab.com.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Schaul, who says the act of writing is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. The challenge lies in getting the pieces to fit together and make sense.
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118