| Rick Ashley, developer of these bug containers,
has been an entomologist for many years. He holds a B.S. degree
in Zoology, and two M.S. degrees, one in Zoology and a second in
Education. Dr. Ashley's Ph.D. was earned in the College of Veterinary
Medicine at the University of Illinois where he managed a variety
of insect colonies for several of his research projects.
Rick began his career working for the National Audubon Society as the resident naturalist of an environmental education center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Some of the educational publications he produced for the Audubon Society include "Live Insects in the Classroom", "The Life of the Honey Bee", "Spiders and Silk", and "Insect Orchestras". An avid insect collector over the years, Rick has donated large collections to schools and museums and has helped hundreds of school children develop an appreciation for these magnificant creatures. |
As an educator and administrator in various positions around the world, from Chiapas, Mexico to Chad, Africa, Rick has guided youngsters through the dogmas of museum rules for properly preserving insects and spiders. He believes that insects are easy to keep in captivity if the keeper is a caring, sensitive individual with a sense of wonder. "Insects need what we need," says Dr. Ashley."Food, shelter, water and a mate. Keeping a tiny creature alive for months or even years is a wonderful lesson for anyone with patience and a desire to learn." Rick has maintained viable colonies of crickets,
milkweed bugs, a host of different spiders, scorpions, flesh
flies, mosquitoes, houseflies, and others. He has also constructed
more than a half dozen observation beehives and installed them
at nature centers. |