The UF entomology club is decorating bugs with Santa Claus hats and fake snow to sell as ornaments for Christmas.
Club members are selling ball-shaped ornaments filled with butterflies, beetles and other insects throughout the holidays to fundraise for the organization’s activities. The ornaments, which cost between $5 and $20 depending on size, repurpose insects that could otherwise be thrown away, said Sage Thompson, the club’s vice president.
“It was upsetting to come across this box of totally discarded insects, so I started to think about how we could use them,” said Thompson, a 21-year-old UF entomology senior.
While some ornaments are Christmas themed, others are decorated to resemble fairy gardens, she said. Students who collect insects for UF entomology classes donate the majority of the bugs to the club. The organization also receives collections from insect enthusiasts.
When club members receive tattered insects, they rehydrate the bugs with water to make the ornaments. Because of their exoskeletons, the bugs won’t degrade over time, Thompson said.
The club has raised about $3,000 since 2015, she said. The money is going toward an insect tour at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, camping trips and monthly bug-collecting trips.
“We just kind of get together, we craft, sell ornaments and are happy with whatever money we get, and we use it how we can,” Thompson said.
This is the second year the club has sold the ornaments, she said. Members also craft insect necklaces year-round.
Brooke McMillion, a recent UF alumna, said she bought a butterfly ornament last year and thinks they’re interesting. After taking an entomology class, McMillion said she’s not afraid of bugs.
“I think that is why people like them so much, because you can kind of check them out through the little glass without having to touch them,” the 23-year-old said.
