The Chironomidae Research Group & Bugs Below Zero

Attention Educators! Interested in adding insect education to your curriculum? Check out these Bugs Below Zero classroom resources.
https://www.bugsbelowzero.com/classroom-resources

We are so proud to see this feature of Jena, one of our science communication interns! She has done incredible work on our Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund funded Bugs Below Zero grant project.

If there is snow on the ground near you (and temperatures are moderate enough to walk outside), please consider getting involved in our community science program and collecting some data!

Join us on Saturday (2/15) from 5-8pm at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Bloomington Education and Visitor Center for candlelit luminary trails, winter storytelling, and interactive insect science from the Bugs Below Zero team!

Thanks to the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, CFANS, Minnesota Sea Grant, and Southwest Minnesota State University for supporting our work. Hope to see you there!

Got snow? With the potential snowfall heading to Minnesota, just a reminder that the Bugs Below Zero citizen science activity is a great way to get outside in the snow, collect data on insects, and support scientific research! More details here:

Get Involved | Bugs Below Zero  Once the snow flies, the University of Minnesota Bugs Below Zero team would like you to join us in a community science project that expands our understanding of winter active aquatic insects. Participants identify and submit information and photographs of aquatic insects on the snow, often near st...

See this great story from KARE 11 about the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund supported Bugs Below Zero project!

Bugs Below Zero: Minnesota researchers dive into the world of winter-active insects The Bugs Below Zero project focuses on winter aquatic insects and their importance to Minnesota's streams.

Come see us at the Bell Museum today!

Spotlight Science: Bugs Below Zero - Bell Museum Join us at the Bell Museum on September 17, to learn more about how birds adapt to their environment and what you can do to protect and conserve birds.

If you are a K12 teacher with curriculum units related to aquatic insects, fish, or water, a few upcoming events might be of interest to you and your students:

On Thursday, Dec 8th from 1:30-2:00pm, the Bugs Below Zero team will be hosting a virtual event for K12 classrooms called Macroinvertebrate Mania (details, registration, a teacher guide, and related educational resources can be found at https://www.bugsbelowzero.com/macroinvertrebrate-mania.)

See information below for a second event for families on Saturday, Dec 10th! The Bugs Below Zero team will have interactive stations and live insects at the Bell Museum for Spotlight Science.

Spotlight Science: Bugs Below Zero - Bell Museum Join us at the Bell Museum on September 17, to learn more about how birds adapt to their environment and what you can do to protect and conserve birds.

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Dr. Leonard Ferrington passed away unexpectedly on September 11, 2021. More information on his career, professional legacy and scientific contributions can be found by following the link to the Society for Freshwater Science memorium news article below.

In Memorium: Len Ferrington | Society for Freshwater Science Leonard (Len) Ferrington, Jr. | 1948-2021Esteemed University of Minnesota Professor of Entomology Dr. Leonard Charles Ferrington, Jr., 73, passed away unexpectedly on September 11, 2021, while bicycling on the Root River Trail near Lanesboro, Minnesota.Dr. Ferrington was born in 1948 in Murrysville,...