Bugs on Bugs: Parasitoids of the Insect World

Tickets: $8, $5 for members

Date: 1/29

Doors: 6:30pm

Lecture: 7:05pm

The Insectarium exhibit area will reopen briefly after the event, until about 8:30pm.

Two complementary drinks are included with your admission.

Must be 21 or over for alcohol.

Some of the most fascinating, complex, and gruesome life histories of the insect

world belong to the parasitoids. Parasitoids blur the line between parasite and predator. They gradually

consume a living host while they develop (as parasites do), but they ultimately kill their host (as

predators do). Parasitoids have developed extreme strategies to subdue their hosts’ immune systems,

hijack their hosts’ behavior and locate new hosts to feed the next hungry generation. While you might

be tempted to think that such a bizarre lifestyle must be relatively uncommon, roughly 10% of all

described insect species are parasitoids. Come learn about these amazing insects that have inspired

wonder and horror amongst scientists for centuries.

Speaker bio: Allison Dehnel is an entomologist with an inordinate fondness for parasitoids. She studied

parasitic wasps that feed on aphids for her master’s thesis and is delighted to dive back into the complex

and creepy world of parasitoids for Bugs and Brews. Allison is currently on staff as the Museum

Interpreter at the Missoula Insectarium.