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University of Texas stores 2 million preserved bugs in entomology department

UT's collection is the second-largest in Texas, next to Texas A&M University. However, UT does have the largest collection of cave invertebrates.

AUSTIN — It's the time of year we are usually trying to avoid all the bugs outside.

But at the University of Texas, you can find one professor who takes care of two million of them.

The entomology department has bugs donated from across the world.

"We have orchid bees,” said Alex Wild, curator of entomology, "We have dog-day cicadas … We have giant stick insects.”

The preserved bugs are in drawers, doors and stacked on shelves.

“We have so many that we have quite a hard time keeping track,” said Wild.

It is his responsibility to keep track of them all.

"If you can imagine being a librarian for a library for 2 million books,” said Wild. “And you're the only full-time staff person. It's kind of like that.”

UT's collection is the second-largest in Texas, next to Texas A&M University. However, UT does have the largest collection of cave invertebrates.

The Longhorns just received a donation of 10,000 butterflies from Asia, South America and beyond to study more about our natural history.

“If you're into discovering new things,” Wild said. “New behaviors animals do, new places they live, I can't imagine a better field than entomology.”

Not only are they preserved in person, but in photographs, too.

"Most people have no idea how amazing insects are,” Wild said.

Wild is also a professional photographer. Wild said he was always fascinated with bugs ever since he was a boy, but he started taking pictures of them in graduate school.

"Within a few months I was just completely addicted," he said. "And started taking pictures of all kinds of bugs. And that eventually led to me kind of accidentally starting a photography business."

He's owned that photography business for 15 years and has 15,000 photographs in his professional library.

Under his watch, the entomology department started "Insects Unlocked,” a public domain photography project.

"When you see (an insect) close up … You suddenly see the iridescent scales and the big spines, and the glossy wings," said Wild.

The entomology department has 1,500 images and the collection keeps growing.

“There’s just so much to discover,” Wild said.

VIEW SOME OF THE PHOTOS HERE:

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