The Insect Fear Film Festival is put on every year by the Entomology Graduate Students Association. It’s a unique way to interact with insects that might seem scary and it makes them a little more approachable. There will be films, of course, but there will also be a living ant display, insect petting zoo, a scanning electron microscope, insect arts and crafts, and a gallery of insect-themed artwork by local K-12 students. You can see the full schedule of events here.
Elizabeth Bello has been a part of the Insect Fear Film Festival since 2020. Her love of insects began when she was young but she didn’t start pursing entomology until college. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Alleyne Bioinspiration Col-LAB-orative (ABC Lab) in the entomology department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The work of the ABC Lab is centered around understanding unique adaptations found in insects and then evaluating whether they can be used to develop new designs or technologies in engineering and material science fields. When she isn’t in the lab you can find her spending as much time as possible outdoors, fishing, kayaking, hammocking, or hiking with her dog, Clover. Bello was kind enough to talk to me about bug reputations, fancy microscopes, and what makes the IFFF such a great event.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Smile Politely: Can you tell me about the work you do?
Elizabeth Bello: I study leafhoppers, tiny insects about the size of a rice grain. They produce and coat themselves in protein-based nanoparticles that look like hollow soccer balls. These particles, called brochosomes, are anti-reflective and superhydrophobic. I’m currently investigating the material and mechanical properties of brochosomes with the hope of developing a new particle- based hydrophobic materal.
Smile Politely: Why did you decide to pursue Entomology?
Elizabeth Bello: Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved insects, but I wasn’t introduced to the field of Entomology until my undergraduate career at Farmingdale State College in New York. I took a general entomology course with Professor Carly Tribull and absolutely loved it. Dr. Tribull encouraged me to do an independent research project and I ended up presenting my findings at the Entomological Society of America Conference in 2019 which was held in St. Louis. It was at that conference that I met my current advisor, Dr. Marianne Alleyne. We had a few great conversations, I applied to grad school, and the rest is history. I moved to Urbana-Champaign in the summer of 2020, and I’ve been here since.
SP: Can you tell me about the Insect Fear Film Festival?
Bello: The Insect Fear Film Festival is a free public outreach event that is hosted each year by the Entomology Graduate Student Association. The festival is the brainchild of Dr. May Berenbaum, head of the entomology department. The first festival was held in 1984 and featured the films Them and Bug. We always look forward to the festival because it’s a great opportunity to interact with local communities, educate people about insects and the field of entomology, and of course, to dispel some of those unjust fears people have about insects.
SP: What do you think makes this event so popular?
Bello: The bugs! It’s an obvious answer but it’s the truth. I also think the festival’s continued popularity is largely due to having a new theme each year. There are always new insects to learn about, a fresh printed IFFF t-shirt to add to your collection, and new feature films. It adds variety and keeps people curious about what next year’s theme will be. The event is a ton of fun all around and there is a lot of enthusiasm from kids and their parents, especially at the insect petting zoo exhibit.
SP: This is the 41st year, are there any stories or memories from previous festivals?
Bello: My first Insect Fear Film Festival was actually in February 2020 when I came to visit the university for the entomology department’s graduate student recruiting weekend. All the prospective students got to attend the festival and help. I remember it being a great time and it was a wonderful way to meet other prospective students, current students, and the community. The theme that year was Crustacea and Lincoln Taylor, a former graduate student (but undergraduate at the time) volunteered to wear a lobster costume which was pretty funny. I helped with the insect petting zoo and I was thrilled to see how excited all the kids were. I even got my partner to hold a tarantula for the first time and now, we own one as a pet.
SP: How was this year’s theme, Ant-Men chosen?
Bello: May Berenbaum chooses the theme each year. Since there’s been forty festivals already it’s getting harder and harder to come up with a new theme. We’ve featured ants twice before but not like this. The first time was during the 14th festival, the theme was “Ants” and then again for the 29th festival, when the theme was “International Ant Films.” This year’s festival takes on a different angle by exploring the ways in which films have shrunk humans down to the size of ants to participate in ant societies.
SP: What is your favorite part of the festival and why?
Bello: That’s a tough one. My absolute favorite part is getting to interact with people and getting them excited about insects. I really do enjoy every aspect of the festival but as far as exhibits are concerned, I’m a huge fan of the K-12 Art Competition and Bugscope. The Art Competition features artwork from local school kids and it’s always a blast. The kids are so talented and it’s so much fun to see their creativity. Bugscope is another free outreach where classrooms from all over the world can connect virtually with microscopists at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology here on campus to look at insects under a scanning electron microscope. This high-powered microscope allows students to get an extremely up-close look at insects they’ve collected and has also helped to facilitate classroom lessons and research projects. At the Insect Fear Film Festival, we partner with Bugscope to highlight insects related to the festival theme.
SP: Insects and bugs have a pretty tough reputation to overcome, what do you hope people will take away from this experience?
Bello: Insects are often seen as nuisances or pests but that’s not always the case. There are so many incredible and beautiful insects in the world that are a crucial part of the environment. I hope people leave the festival with new knowledge, a new appreciation for insects, and hopefully, no fear!
SP: Do you have a favorite bug coming to the festival?
Bello: I don’t think I can decide on just one. I really love tiger beetles and leafhoppers, although I think I’m biased saying leafhoppers because they’re my study organism. I do have a favorite ant – leafcutter ants! These ants cut pieces of leaves with their large mandibles and then bring them back to the nest to cultivate and eat fungus that grows on the leaf bits. They’re basically little farmers, how cool is that? I think trap-jaw ants come in at a close second, they have spring loaded jaws that snap shut faster than a speeding bullet. We’ll have two different species of trap-jaw ants (along with other cool ant species) at the Bugscope booth to check out. Additionally, Josh Gibson, who studied theses ants, will be there to answer all your questions. As well as festival guest speaker and UIUC’s resident Ant-Man, Dr. Andrew Suarez.
SP: Where do these bugs live the rest of the year?
Bello: That’s a great question! Some insects have short life cycles and will die during the warmer seasons or shortly thereafter. Other insects live longer life cycles and are capable of overwintering, meaning they go into hibernation or diapause (another form of dormancy). Many important pollinators will overwinter in leaflitter which is why it’s important leave the leaves on your lawn in the fall and wait until mid to late spring to clean them up. Some insects are also freeze tolerant including the woolly bear caterpillar, the alpine cockroach, and a species of flightless midge, Belgica Antarctica, that is only found in Antarctica.
SP: Anything else you want to add?
Bello: Insects are amazing creatures and we can learn so much from them. They’ve been on the planet for over 400 million years (way before the dinosaurs) and they have come to thrive in almost every region of the world. They pollinate our crops, alter our planet, and inspire new technologies every day. Join us at the festival to learn more and celebrate the diversity and success of these small but mighty insects. We hope to see you there!
Insect Fear Festival
Foellinger Auditorium
709 S Mathews Ave
Urbana
February 24th
5:30 p.m.
free
