Frost Entomological Museum facts for kids
| Established | 1969 |
|---|---|
| Location | Penn State University, University Park, PA, Pennsylvania |
| Type | Natural History Museum |
| Collection size | 2 million specimens |
The Frost Entomological Museum is a cool place at Penn State University in University Park, PA. It's like a giant library for insects and other creepy crawlies! The museum has a huge collection of these creatures, which scientists study. It also has a special area where you can visit and learn all about them. Even though the museum started in 1969, some of its insect specimens are much older, from the early 1900s or even the late 1800s.
Contents
Discovering the World of Insects
The Frost Entomological Museum is home to an amazing collection of arthropods. Arthropods are a group of animals that includes insects, spiders, and crabs. The museum has about 1.3 million of these specimens! Scientists use this collection to learn about the different kinds of insects and other arthropods living in Pennsylvania and the eastern United States. It helps them understand how these creatures have changed over time.
Amazing Insect Collections
The museum has several very special collections. These collections help scientists study specific types of insects in great detail.
Aphids: Tiny Plant Eaters
One important collection is of Aphididae, also known as aphids. These are tiny insects that often feed on plants. The John O. Pepper aphid collection has over 32,000 mounted specimens. These specimens represent at least 800 different kinds of aphids. Many of them were collected right in central Pennsylvania.
Sucking Lice: A Unique Study
Another special collection focuses on Anoplura, which are sucking lice. The K. C. Kim collection has more than 15,000 slide-mounted specimens. These tiny creatures are carefully prepared on microscope slides for study. This collection represents about 300 different species of sucking lice.
Dragonflies and Damselflies: Flying Jewels
The museum also has a large collection of Odonata. This group includes beautiful dragonflies and damselflies. The George H. and Alice F. Beatty Collection has over 60,000 specimens! These were collected from the 1940s through the 1970s. More than 1,000 different species are part of this collection. About half of these amazing specimens were found in Mexico.
Dr. Stuart W. Frost's Legacy
The museum is named after Dr. Stuart W. Frost. He was a very important scientist who loved insects. Some other notable collections in the museum show his interests. These include:
- Insects that create "leaf mines" (tunnels inside leaves).
- Insects caught using special light traps.
- Arthropods from the Archbold Biological Station, a research center in Florida.
