Winter 2022
It’s fungi to the rescue
The value and virtues of fungi are deceptively simple. » More ...
Entomology
Fall 2020
Cricket chili
Richard Zack organized a Bug Buffet as part of his Entomology 101 course for about 20 years. One of the mainstays of the insect-eating event was his cricket chili.
“It’s a kind of standard chili recipe,” he says.
Then he would add the insects.
“I would buy like 10,000 crickets,” says Zack, now the associate dean for academic programs at WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences.
He’s no longer teaching the class nor hosting the famed Bug Buffet. But, here, he offers his cricket chili recipe for readers who might want to try it at home. It’s based … » More …
Fall 2020
A world without insects?
Insect abundance and biodiversity are declining worldwide. For Washington State University scientists, complacency is not an option. » More ...
Fall 2020
In a crunch for lunch?
Not only are insects packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and flavor, they offer a sustainable way to eat. » More ...
Fall 2020
Bug recipes
David George Gordon, aka “The Bug Chef,” doesn’t eat bugs every day. And bugs aren’t his only source of protein. But, for. more than 20 years, he’s traveled the country giving cooking demonstrations and convincing people to eat crickets and cockroaches and other insects and arachnids. Here, he shares a few of his recipes, including one—his personal favorite—for the Deep-Fried Tarantula he shared on “The Late Late Show” with James Corden in 2015.
Need some inspiration? Check out the links below to videos featuring Gordon preparing bugs at the famed Explorers Club gala in New York City as well as his appearance on “The Late … » More …
Summer 2020
Celebrating 30 years
Three stories celebrating three decades of Washington State University in Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver » More ...
Winter 2018
Plan Bee
With honey bees in peril, agriculture turns to our wild bee species to help pollinate America’s crops. » More ...
Winter 2018
Build a bee hotel
Help some local pollinators by building your own bee hotel.
There are plenty of tutorials and guides out there. Below are a few easy steps to quickly building a home for solitary bees, followed by links to some other guides.
With a craft knife, cut both ends off the plastic bottle to create a cylinder.
Make your lengths of bamboo, grass or reeds 3 cm shorter than the bottle to protect them from rain – use sharp garden clippers to trim them. Bees can’t burrow through the knots in bamboo, so avoid lengths with too many knots.
Use sandpaper to smooth the … » More …
Winter 2018
Gallery: Bee beds and hotels
A unique look at the interplay between wild North American bees, European bees, and Washington farmers.
Photographer Zach Mazur ’06 highlights the apian stars of Southeast Washington’s thriving alfalfa seed industry. The spare yet stunning landscape is home to millions of native alkali bees which, together with leafcutter bees, make Walla Walla County one of the nation’s top producers.
Read more about wild bees and pollinators in “Plan Bee.”
Summer 2018
The Book of Caterpillars
Edited by David G. James
The University of Chicago Press: 2017
Meet some of the world’s most wild, weird, and beautiful caterpillars. Using its own hairs, the lichen moth builds a basket around itself to stay protected during metamorphosis.
As the Red Helen caterpillar develops, its body starts to resemble a snake’s head. When threatened a red, forked appendage inflates from behind its own head, giving off an unpleasant … » More …