Entomologists and their license plates

I've always appreciated the creativity that goes into vanity plates--even if they are sometimes, well, a little vain. But you have to love the entomologists' license plates submitted to the first-ever BugMobile contest sponsored by the Entomological Society of America.

Members of the ESA were asked to submit photos of creative, insect-themed cars or license plates.  Most sent in insect-related license plates that they own or see around town.  People visiting the site were then invited to "Like" their favorites, and the plate with the most "likes" wins.

The winner was a cool-looking, University of Arizona themed license plate with the no-so-original (in my opinion) text, DRBUG.  Much more original, in my opinion was the plate, shown here, that must have belonged to a pest management professional, DBUG4U.  Also way cool was the yellow-with-black-racing-stripes Chevy Camaro, with the Iowa plates reading BMBULBE.

One entomologist advertised his or her enthusiasm about entomology with the plate N2BUGS. I liked that.

Some plates only an entomologist would love, or understand, such as the Colorado plate reading SCARAB2, suggesting an enthusiasm for beetles in the family Scarabeidae (and implying that she is not alone, assuming SCARAB1 had already been taken).  Even more of an insider plate read BUP DR, which I might not have recognized as an entomologist's plate in another context--BUP referring to the beetle family Buprestidae.  And BTLEMAN.  And HISTERS and SCARABS (Beetle families Histeridae and Scarabeidae) in the same driveway no less.  I'll bet I can guess what dinner table talk is like at that home is like.  What is it about beetle guys and their vanity plates?

Some of the references were too obscure for me.  CANTHON turns out to be another dung beetle.  CY BUGS... cyborg bugs?  SP NOV is entomologist code for "new species" in Latin... representing a dream of every entomologist to name a new bug species.

I got BUG DOOD, and TSETSE (for the African Tsetse fly--carrier of sleeping sickness), and BUG ACE (which I suppose is proudly displayed by an Associate Certified Entomologist).

As for my car, I do have two bumper stickers that I've never displayed publicly.  They read "Have You Hugged Your ExterminatorToday?" And, "Entomologists are Good for What Bugs You"...  Maybe some day I'll be bold enough, or vain enough, to advertise my inner bug nerd.

If any of you have a BugMobile photo that you're especially proud of, I'd like to see it. Just email me a copy at m-merchant at tamu dot edu, or post a link to your picture in the comments to this post.  If I get enough, I'll post them on this site for all to see and enjoy.

Car Talk radio show tackles wildlife topic

Kieran Lindsey, former Texas A&M University wildlife major,
and now Virginia Tech professor, tackles the subject of
wildlife and automobile maintenance.

Any of you who find yourself out driving around on a Saturday morning, and have happened to tune into an National Public Radio station, have probably heard the show Car Talk. Who would have guessed that two goofy brothers answering car maintenance questions on the radio would have been successful? I wouldn't. Yet they've become an enormous hit with a syndicated newspaper column and with NPR listeners with cars over a certain age.

The Car Talk brothers usually make me laugh. So I was pleasantly surprised a few months ago when I got a call from someone purportedly working for the show, and who needed some advice about pest problems in cars. It turns out that my caller was Dr. Kieran Lindsey, a Texas A&M grad who now works at Virginia Tech and who is moonlighting her wildlife biology skills and knowledge as the "wildlife expert" for Car Talk. An article about Kieran and her new gig just appeared in AgriLife Today.

I'm proud to report that a couple of the issues we discussed are now part of Kieran's Car Talk webpage called Wildlife and Your Car. So for all the times you wake up in the middle of the night in a panic, worrying about spiders or bed bugs in your car, you now have a place to go online. I know I'll sleep easier knowing that Car Talk has all the answers about what to do should be car is invaded by snakes, rats, goats and cats. Oh, and don't forget the perennial worry about what will happen to your dog in the front seat should your airbag deploy.

Given the current state of the Texas budget and the economy, Dr. Lindsey gives me great hope. If a wildlife biologist can get a gig advising people how to keep wildlife out of their cars, perhaps there's a place for an unemployed Ph.D. entomologist in the new economy.