BugFest 2020 – This time it’s virtual!

For immediate release ‐ September 04, 2020

Contact: Jon Pishney, 919.707.8083. Images available upon request

Bugfest: a Virtual Infestation

This year, BugFest goes online and international! Join the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Sept. 14-19 for six full days of programs that let attendees interact with entomologists from North Carolina and around the world as they learn about the fascinating world of bugs. A full list of programs is available at BugFest.org, where you can register for free to attend any of the dozens of buggy offerings.

BugFest 2020 puts its spotlight on the fly! True flies are one of the most amazing and diverse groups of insects, with approximately 110,000 described species of true flies found worldwide. They not only have a wide range of appearance, from metallic greens and blues to dark grays and blacks, but they fill the role of mimics, predators, pollinators, recyclers and everything in between. You’ll learn about an assortment of “superflies,” ranging from the chocolate fly that pollinates the flower of the cacao tree, to the blow fly that helps solve crimes through the field known as forensic entomology.

You’ll hear from Timothy Winegard, author of the New York Times best-selling book “The Mosquito: A Human History of our Deadliest Predator,” as well as Dr. Erica McAlister of the Natural History Museum in London, for a look under the bonnet of the astonishing mechanics of fly anatomy. You can also meet the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Director and CEO Eric Dorfman and Chief Veterinarian Dan Dombrowski, co-hosts of a new podcast called “Love Nature: The Biophilia Podcast” that delves into humans’ innate tendency to seek out connections with nature and other living things.

Discover an array of Paleozoic megabugs – enormous insects from before the time of the dinosaurs, including giant millipedes and huge scorpions. Learn how to tie fishing flies specific to NC with staff from Orvis or get a bee’s-eye view of a live honey bee hive inspection with beekeepers from the Five Counties Beekeepers Association. Get a macro-photographic introduction to bizarre and beautiful flies of NC or try out our BugFest edition of Trivia Tuesday. We even have Bug Yoga for Kids.

BugFest is brought to you by Terminix Companies of Eastern North Carolina and BASF.

Jim Haugh, CEO of Terminix Companies of Eastern North Carolina, eagerly anticipates the company’s participation in the 24th annual BugFest. “My colleagues and I appreciate the chance to support this extraordinary festival with its spotlight on some of the most amazing arthropods on the planet. This year’s focus on flies will offer participants a look at a truly fascinating group of creatures, and I am personally delighted that their history and the unique place they occupy in the animal kingdom will be featured.”

BASF Community Relations Manager Carrie Gray said, “We highly value the partnership with the Museum; our collaboration creates great chemistry for everyone involved and engages employees in an exhilarating and relevant outreach effort. BASF sponsors BugFest because we share with the Museum the goal of providing unique educational opportunities year-round at no cost to participants, and we’re passionate about providing young people opportunities to interact with entomologists and other scientists and to learn about the role we all play in a sustainable future.”


About the NC Museum of Natural Sciences

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh (11 and 121 W. Jones St.) is an active research institution that engages visitors of every age and stage of learning in the wonders of science and the natural world. Hours beginning Sept. 22: Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. General admission is free. For more information, visit www.naturalsciences.org.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.

NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.

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