7th annual Bug Fest draws a crowd

Lines stretched through the Museum of Nature and Science on Aug. 15, as families gathered around tables for an up-close look at tarantulas, insects and other creatures during the 7th annual Bug Fest. 

Visitors crowded around live animal displays throughout the event, with some getting the chance to hold creatures that might otherwise send them in the opposite direction. The event also featured edible insects and specimens brought by New Mexico State University’s Arthropod Museum. For Destry Kissick, the museum’s curator of living collections, that curiosity is part of what has kept Bug Fest growing since she first came up with the idea. 

“I actually started it just kind of on a whim,” Kissick said. “I think tarantulas and the creepy-crawlies are pretty fun and cool, and I think a lot of people are fascinated by them, even if they are afraid of them.” 

Kissick said the event began as a way to educate visitors about animals that are often misunderstood and show how they contribute to the environment. 

“If we can educate people about these animals and their basic forms and just how they exist in the world and how they work side by side to help us exist in the world, because we’re all connected in a way, then we can hopefully help them understand some of the fear and overcome some of the fear of these animals,” Kissick said. 

That message was reflected throughout Saturday’s event as visitors gathered around live animals, including tarantulas and other invertebrates, for a closer look. Kissick said creatures such as spiders and vinegaroons can help control other populations, while decomposers such as millipedes contribute to breaking down organic material. 

“They’re basically, other than being the starting line for a lot of the food chain — a lot of animals rely on insects as their food source,” Kissick said. “We also rely on insects to be our cleanup crew as well.” 

The museum’s living collection includes 88 individual animals representing 56 species, including reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds, and invertebrates. Kissick said the species are native to the Chihuahuan Desert or its surrounding areas, with much of the desert extending into Mexico. 

Her interest in animals began long before Bug Fest. Kissick said she wanted to work with animals from an early age and later spent several years at the El Paso Zoo, where she was introduced to caring for a variety of tarantulas. 

“They actually do a similar program over there where they talk about bugs as well,” Kissick said. “They have a very large insect collection that I was lucky enough to help take care of, and that was my first exposure to tarantulas specifically.” 

The experience sparked an interest that continued into her work in Las Cruces. Kissick said scientists are still learning about tarantulas, from differences among species to how their needs and behaviors vary across different parts of the world. 

Her favorite is the Texas brown tarantula, a species she said is commonly found in the region. Female Texas brown tarantulas can live for decades, while males have considerably shorter lives and migrate in search of mates. 

“The ladies are just living their life,” Kissick said. “They’re just hanging out in their burrows and just hanging out, eating, doing what they want, and I think that’s so cool.” 

While tarantulas remain a personal favorite, Kissick said Bug Fest provides an opportunity to build interest in a much broader group of animals. One of her favorite parts of the annual event is watching children hesitate before interacting with something unfamiliar, only to return after realizing the experience was not as frightening as expected. 

She said that reaction is especially noticeable with the edible insects offered during Bug Fest. Children sometimes initially refuse to try them before watching a parent take the first bite. 

“They try it, and they like it, and then they end up coming back for more,” Kissick said. “I love that realization and just the kind of eye-opening.” 

Similar moments happen when visitors encounter live animals, she said, giving the museum an opportunity to turn hesitation into an interest in learning more about the natural world. 

“It’s just building that curiosity and fostering it, just to be like, ‘Hey, it’s okay to be curious about what’s out there and not know everything,’” Kissick said. “That’s what we’re here for. That’s what the museum’s purpose is, is to educate you.” 

For Kissick, understanding those animals also means recognizing that their presence is necessary beyond the museum walls. Removing insects from an ecosystem, she said, would affect the animals that depend on them and create consequences throughout the food web.