Insect agriculture advocates are inviting the public to try some insect cuisine. Free snacks are more will be available at Creature Comforts Insect Curiosity Corner and Family Film Festival tomorrow.
Dr. Marianne Shockley is an academic professional at UGA.
“It’s going to be happening Sunday, August 12, at Creature Comforts in downtown Athens, “according to Shockley. “it’s in conjunction with an international conference that we’re having called ‘Eating Insects Athens.’ We’ll have some edibles that we’re featuring of course including insects, some live insects and arthropods there that the community can handle and do some hands-on learning, and then some other activities like arts and crafts and things like that."
Shockley says insects are instrumental to our way of life.
“The foods that we eat and pollination services to the clothes that we wear, so they’re definitely crucial and very critical. And most insects are very positive and beneficial to us, only a very few actually sting and transmit disease and things like that.”
She says insects can be a great source of protein.
“From an eating perspective, they’re very abundant, very nutritious, very sustainable and they can be farmed pretty much anywhere in the world on small scale in your closet or on your balcony, or on a very large scale.”
In addition, Cine will hold a free screening of The Bee Movie at 4 pm.
Visitwww.EatingInsectsAthens.org. for more information on the festival or conference.
For years, she and her team of UGA entomology students, called “Bug Dawgs,” have been introducing Athens to edible insects through outreach events at local grade schools and on UGA’s campus. This conference will enable UGA entomology students to meet others who promote insect agriculture.