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S T E M I N C U R R E N T E V E N T S

An insect wrangler is a person, often an entomologist , who is trained to work with bugs. Insect wranglers not only direct all manner of cockroaches, maggots, spiders, and other species on movie sets, but they also breed and store them. If a director

wants a specific type of insect that’s not readily available, it’s the wrangler’s job to track it down.That maymean visiting other breeders in far-off places. On set, insect wranglers must use their scientific knowledge about the behavior of bugs. For example, recognizing that cock- roaches seek out enclosed spaces can help

Meet a Hollywood animal wrangler.

a wrangler construct a course to get them tomove along a certain path.Understanding their life cycles—the season inwhich they’re born, how long they live, and other related facts—is necessary when breeding different species. On a purely health-related level, knowing which bugs are more likely to carry diseases or cause allergies is necessary to keep a cast and crew safe. Even the insects’ diets must be closely monitored to ensure they ha- ven’t been feeding on bacteria. Safety isn’t just a human concern. Some insects must be washed, and theymust be kept away frompotentially toxic environments such as freshly painted rooms. Insects have to be stored in par- ticular ways, in temperature-controlled spaces to mimic their natural habitats. Transport to and from the set presents its own challenges; wranglers may have to design special containers to prevent against infestation. They may also have to separate insects by sex to make sure they don’t reproduce.