Beetles, Mites, Cockroaches Oh My! [Insect Collection Tour]

The insect collection is the largest at The Field Museum, with more than 12 million specimens - only (only?!) 4 million of those are pinned in the dry collection. Crystal is in charge of all of them- no pressure. Want to search the zoological collections on your own? Look no further!: bit.ly/fmnhzoology
------
Help support our videos! bit.ly/1TjMRAo
Under 'Designation,' put 'The Brain Scoop' - all proceeds go exclusively towards helping the show. We appreciate whatever you can give!
NEW!! Brain Scoop Merch: bit.ly/dftba_tbs
------
Big thanks to Crystal for showing us around! Can we come back some time!?
Learn more about her research on water beetles: • These beetles breathe ...
---------------------------------------­----------------------------
Come hang out in our Subreddit: / thebrainscoop
egraslie
Twitters: @ehmee
Facebook: / thebrainscoop
Tumblr: thebrainscoop.tumblr.com
---------------------------------------­----------------------------
Producer, Writer, Creator, Host:
Emily Graslie
Director, Editor, Graphics, Sound:
Brandon Brungard
Editor, Camera:
Sheheryar Ahsan
---------------------------------------­----------------------------
This episode is supported by and filmed on location at:
The Field Museum in Chicago, IL
(www.fieldmuseum...)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

[@Coldmaj]

I love the Pokemon reference because coincidentally, the guy who developed Pokemon created it because of his love of collecting bugs as a child.

[@squishyface218]

That’s adorable

[@thewindgamer2607]

Oh really?? i had no idea!

[@srpilha]

"I've never seen anything so purple!" "This is purple in its purest form." bam, science right there. :)

[@Qermaq]

Those two seemed to be having a LOT of fun! I think they are an entertaining pair :)

[@suburiboy]

"I don't have Cockroaches." "YOU CAN'T KNOW THAT!!!" "..."

[@randomsandra4039]

"They are verrrry sneaky!"

[@jonahbrame7874]

That was quite possibly the best ending to a brain scoop episode I've ever seen.

[@kikinoro6546]

true

[@rileypurcell2159]

Indeed!

[@beccafrances31]

So far since Anna I think Crystal is my favorite guest on this show. She's so awesome! :D

[@hankdmoose]

"Do you want to see some cockroa..." "YES!!!" Emily, you are awesome :)

[@renoa0heartilly]

thanks a lot Brain Scoop team now youtube is suggesting videos on how to get rid of my nonexistent bed bug infestation, 10/10 would watch again

[@kalliste01]

+Renoa Heartilly hah me too! and the cursed beauty blender!

[@ellie4943]

Insects! Are so! Exciting! I might major in entomology!

[@nicobremi]

+Ellie Simens Really ?! I'm looking to study insects but unfortunatly there is no formations specialized in that in my country (France). So if you found a school where it is possible to do it I woud love to know it's name ! :)

[@ellie4943]

Ohio State University in Ohio, United States has an entomology major and an excellent entomology department/collection! If you are interested in coming to the USA for university, check them out! They have an international student program

[@georgesoukup4058]

Good! Luck! Actually! Using! Your! Degree!

[@AspenWicce]

I have been admiringly browsing through the database, and I'm thrilled to be able to access all of the information now available to the public! I was, however, disappointed that the majority of entries lacked a photo of the specimens. Given the colossal number of specimens, I understand adding a photo of each specimen will probably take years. would the Field Museum be interested in allowing students studying related sciences to volunteer their time to assist in cataloging and photographing the specimens?

[@thebrainscoop]

+Aspen Wicce photographing and databasing specimens - absolutely, yes. email us: thebrainscoop(at)gmail(dot)com

[@AspenWicce]

+thebrainscoop the email should be in your inbox, thank you for the opportunity. I'm so excited!

[@liquidcristaldisplay]

+thebrainscoop Is it even possible to collect & database all species? Don't new ones appear faster than they are able to be catalogued?

[@rb7297]

+Aspen Wicce I'd love to see the unidentified ones added! It would be so interesting.

[@AspenWicce]

+Roisin Barker I encourage you to volunteer as well, maybe see some of them in person! I assume this process will take a LONG time, and the more helping hands, the better :)

[@Illuminati-vp7yn]

they had the time to organize insects when i cant even clean my room...

[@barvdw]

All the more bugs inside to study, then. And I know the feeling...

[@dracla1]

So people that make bug collections have a common PINterest

[@naota3k]

+sean statham OHOHOHOHUEHUE

[@ljmastertroll]

+sean statham **facepalm**

[@greensteve9307]

+sean statham: They sure have a MITEy big collection!

[@JaesadaSrisuk]

The funny thing is that Pinterest (the site) is a great tool to catalog bugs and other living things. There are millions of insect pins that can be saved and more are added each day.

[@piwithatsme]

Crystal her enthusiasm is very infectious. Great video!

[@sarahleonard7309]

I love how quick she was to say "Yes!" when asked if she wanted to see some cockroaches. These are my people.

[@deathrattle3]

aww, she was so high-energy and positive and soooo ahhhhh Crystal was so great in this video sjejeb

[@vesta246]

Crystal is so sweet. I would definitely watch more videos of you two together!

[@slpk]

Emily should sing the outro everytime!

[@chj6931]

yas that was so cute

[@josuelservin2409]

What an amazing collection, thanks to Mr. Psota for the all his effort, and thanks to everyone who are working every day to help us to understand our world better. On a side note, those purple bettles have my favorite color, they are beautiful!

[@KiddsockTV]

So love your enthusiasm Crystal! Give her a big HUG for me!!

[@janan231]

im not a big fan of bugs but every time this channel makes an episode about them i find myself appreciating them a little more

[@sketchalater4656]

I could spend an eternity there looking through all the specimens. This reminds me of my field trip to the UC Davis Entomology facility, I never forgot that wonderful experience.

[@DeathlyTired]

If you're not British, this will mean absolutely nothing to you, but Victoria Wood died today, aged 62. I thought nothing could make me smile today. But you did. So, thank you.

[@TiaRae101]

We have lost a treasure, I have watched dinner ladies since I was about 6, as I got older I understood it more, and I always came back for new jokes, she will be missed :(

[@NimN0ms]

OMG Pokemon reference in science context! I see 2 of my favorite passions merging!

[@fuegoazul1831]

+intotheoceanbloo GET READY THIS HINTS TO POKEMON SUN AND MOON ╯°□°）╯︵(\ .o.)\

[@ratatataraxia]

Intro jingle makes me sooo happy.

[@VirgoCarnation]

This is my fav episode so far!!! MORE BUGS PLEASE!!

[@Titanic_401]

+VirgoCarnation This is my favourite one too. I've watched it like 5 times. :P

[@XplodingBunny]

I've come back and re-watched this episode so many times in the last four days.

[@Titanic_401]

+XplodingBunny So have I! :D This is one of my favourites. :3

[@lucstockdale]

This channel is just so quirky and nerdy and every episode makes me squeal and flail my arms with delight... I'm weird... But the channel is great.

[@cipher1500]

I work in the Texas A&M Univeristy Insect Collection and we have been undergoing the barcode databasing process for years. Such work will never end! We only boast about 3 million specimens, but even that many is an endless supply of captivating wonder.

[@MUtley-rf8vg]

+Andrew J. Graf _Only_ 3-million... Okay, so, just imagining 12-million specimens. Say it takes 15-minutes per specimen to database and you were working 40-hour work weeks to complete this task. That's 1,437 years. Futile task. Okay, say you hire a company of 100 full time employees to do the same job. It's still 15-years of filing and nothing but. Now just imagine the time, energy, and manpower that went into these collections in the first place. That's a lotta love.

[@cipher1500]

Actually, depending on the specimen, databasing can take from less than a minute to a few minutes. Despite that, yes, it's a tedious task. The collection grows daily, so we "retro-actively" capture all new specimens into the databasing system while still going through the rest of the collection one part at a time to database them. This is all fueled by an army of undergraduate student workers. It's all worth it. In a span of 10 years or so, we have around a million of them databased. Another plus from doing this databasing is that you learn A LOT of geography.

[@MUtley-rf8vg]

Andrew J. Graf I see. Undergraduate student workers = free labor (and educational experience..??). Hopefully the technology doesn't become obsolete by the time you get to the end of that rainbow! Andrew J. Graf _Another plus from doing this databasing_ _is that you learn A LOT of geography. _ That must be one of those interesting geographic-information overlays. Maybe you'll discover some new insect micro-nations like those global Argentine ant colonies.

[@cipher1500]

Actually we get paid! The only downside to barcode databasing is when you somehow run out of unique barcodes. That's a real headache. I've been keeping the entire Formicidae collection up to date for them. Well we don't have overlays. The geography learning comes in when you are entering data from a specimen and you don't know the country or location off hand. Worst ones are the handwritten ones that aren't very legible, or when you have old cities that had different names in the past. Sends you off on a hunt for a specific spot on the face of the Earth.

[@MUtley-rf8vg]

Andrew J. Graf What!? You're in college - you're not supposed to have any money! ;) I thought maybe there would be some neat tagging feature in this barcode system that might allow you to search and plot certain attributes on a GIS map. But I'm just dreaming aloud here.

[@missinglincoln]

Ms. Maier is a genuine treat. I hope you feature her more often in future videos!

[@ravennightshade8329]

I get so excited when I see a new video has been posted. made my hubby watch the wolf being skinned while we were having dinner lol he felt a little sick, and has no idea how I can eat while I'm watching things like that lol

[@lillithdv8]

There is such beauty in videos like these: the joy and pride to show this beautiful collection, the sheer vastness of information to be gleaned from it. This is delightful

[@robbiev9296]

I have been collecting insects for my own collection for 4 years now, my greatest hope will be discovering a new species

[@sunnydayssandytoes4337]

Stumbled upon this video while researching to help my 9 yr old son with his homeschool bug collection. I love the lighthearted flare and being able to join you in looking at all the insects. Wish the Field Museum had pictures of some of the samples at the museum for us to explore as Chicago is a long way away for us. That would have been amazing. Thanks again for taking us along.

[@jennykate10]

A love hearing from people who are so passionate about what they do. I'm really glad I subscribed.

[@marionrodrigo6385]

you inspired me (afer i watched your first set of videos regarding insect collection) to have my personal insect collection that i used to teach my student about basics of taxonomy as well as on how our environment are changing since a lot of the areas in our town is converted to subdivision. i hope you visit the philippines.... please please please...

[@bigbendkid]

Recently PBS had a show called the Love Bugs about entomologists Charlie and his Lois and their donation of their million plus insects to Arizona State.

[@freddyacuna8829]

For people like me (livin' in latinamerica, findin' some sort of life meaning by feelin' a nerdy passion about knowledge and education), being able to behold such magnificent collections through this medium is sort of a life-savin'-painkiller. Thank you so much to this channel and it's team. Love you all *-*

[@AdahliaBiPunk]

UGGGH EMILY!!! I'm not sure if my comment was read on your last video but I actually requested another insect video, specifically on beetles and even more specifically on flower beetles if it was possible. Incredibly stoked to see that you went with another beetle video. Doubt my comment was seen but others must've requested it for you to have gone forward with it. I have a huge interest in entomology, specifically beetles, and it makes me so happy to see you post videos about them to share with the world how incredible these insects are.

[@89nekkoinu]

we really need insects pokedex in order to arm all entomologist around the earth that want to catch them all! (of course without damaging nature balance) :D

[@fuegoazul1831]

+Eko ari wibowo TWEET THIS to the Pokemon community, the BUG CATCHERS have such much POTENTIAL in Real Life! So many jobs they can have!

[@89nekkoinu]

FuegoAzul i agree, as long as they did not waiting in the bush and challenge everyone they meet into insect battle

[@fuegoazul1831]

xD SUn and Moon Jetzt!

[@cacti485]

Are those cases fireproof? Because that would be a shame if something were to happen

[@milopace]

+Parakeet34 this is a very ominous reply!

[@cacti485]

+Natasha Pace you made me look back at what I wrote and it had me laughing out loud. Haha it does sound suspicious

[@jennystratton1448]

+Parakeet34 Betting they have a very good sprinkler system installed; most modern collection rooms do, these days. Of course that runs the risk of water damage to the collections (been there, done that, at one place I worked!)

[@JohnCallender]

More Crystal+Emily. They're the best. They're like a dynamic crime-fighting duo, except they're not so much fighting crime as fighting ignorance. Thank you for your consideration.

[@JackOfAllTrades0404]

Idk if you've ever watched Penny dreadful, but it's currently my favorite show😁. I was watching episode one and they said that the bugs in a box living on a skeleton were carrion Beetles and that they were cleaning the specimen and it bothered me because I knew they were Dubai roaches from watching the brain scoop, mixed with the fact that I keep Dubias as a food source for my geckos. It made me wonder if people commonly mix up Beetles and roaches. How closely related are they, anyways? 😂

[@crystalmaier4680]

+Cheesus The cockroaches and beetles diverged nearly 400 million years ago - that's about the time that fishes were first starting to evolve. So, not very closely related at all! They do look very similar, though!

[@JackOfAllTrades0404]

Crystal Maier good to know, thanks!!

[@Tomozaurus]

"They're called Field Museum trays" Insert *I don't know what I was expecting* meme here.

[@hellozup]

wow those are really big collections and a neat one too :) I've heard or read about how many insects possibly out there but I just cannot comprehend it in my head.. just too much

[@brownpolyestershirt4701]

I have no idea why a vid for this channel showed up in my suggestions but I like it. New sub!

[@kmakhlouf4387]

I adore pinned insects in a frame. They are like gems to me. What stopped kids from pinning insects like we used to do in the olden days? We caught more bugs than, well I don't know. Butterflies were a big hit and the nicest displays were under bell glass, but those were expensive to do. There used to be a lot more farms in US than now (excellent farmland smoothed over and houses on it now, or just lie fallow or abandoned, the same produce we can grow is now imported from Mexico courtesy NAFTA). we see no butterflies anymore except the most common. WHERE ARE ALL THE BUGS? A town I used to live in, we kids would scoop tadpoles out of the gutter and raise them to froglets to be set free, but that city became all "21st Century" and paved over all of the places water collected for the frogs, now they are sitting there scratching their heads referring to scientists to find out the reason for the frogs declining populations! they had the audacity to blame it on "pesticide over usage" No, they destroyed their habitats.

[@NickMoore]

Very cool. I was surprised to find Tiger Beetles recently in New Zealand that were almost identical to the ones found in Canada. There is a lot of variety in beetles yet the same successful species can be found on opposite sides of the globe.

[@jordanwong9957]

3:45 thats why they are on a MITEcroscope slide,cuz they are hard to see~

[@PrimeStigma]

AAAAAH!!! This is so freaking cool!! I love Crystal's enthusiasm when she's speaking about the insect collection.

[@CybranM]

the enthusiasm is contagious, great video

[@kolpik3708]

4:12 The excitement in her eyes. :) I imagine exterminators don't see that look very often when cockroaches are the subject of discussion.

[@howarthe1]

I love videos with Crystal!

[@wanderingmogwai2553]

I am sooooooo jealous! The twelve year old inside of me is screaming "That's what I want to do when I grow up!!"

[@Frog888]

The purple conversation was adorable

[@MlleLorelei]

CRYSTAL IS SO COOL.

[@howarthe1]

Emily looks like a total boss standing there cranking the shelves down the aisle.

[@plushplums]

I love how excited they both are!

[@SimplyMayaBeauty]

This channel is so exciting! It's seriously fascinating.

[@james4thedoctor482]

Bug types are my favourite Pokémon; I love the reference/comparison! :D

[@dancroteau55]

Dear Emily, your videos are always so interesting and informative and presented is such delightful fun way. This insect collection one is particularly interesting. The.beetles look like rare, precious jewels instead of critters. Thank you so much and keep up the fascinating work. You are a gifted story teller. I always look forward to your next project.

[@superbubbleaquapower]

It was all really cool until the beetles reminded me of the cockroach that I lost in my room. And then you brought 'em out. Eurghhh.

[@PrimalRenegade17]

Melbourne Museum has a simillar collection where the collectir used diagrams for specimens he hadn't gotten yet.

[@cablecar830]

Emily, I just wanted to let you know that you are absolutely amazing! you're adorable, beautiful and your energy and enthusiasm excites me to want to learn more. You and your show remind me of the shows i used to watch growing up on animal planet. Your passion for this stuff is so palpable and i love watching your show. I hope to come visit the Field Museum someday soon and i'd love to pick your brain (hehe not scoop) about all of the amazing things that have happened for you! Keep up the amazing work and Stay Curious :D

[@markholm7050]

Man, it was rough waiting almost three weeks for a new Brain Scoop video! Glad this one is a gem.

[@JosephCoates]

Just a few comments. First, thank you all for keeping the provenance of the collections, with it they would definitely lose value. Second, how are collections chosen to be digitized next. Third, it seems like it would be hard to spend time digitizing when you know there are species still unidentified, and last, thank you ladies for being excellent role models for my daughters.

[@kazoosc]

+Joseph Coates on your third point - I expect digitization and identification of new species happen in parallel

[@crystalmaier4680]

+Joseph Coates It is tough trying to decide which things to digitize next. Our selection process goes something like this - 1)Is it unique or otherwise extremely valuable scientifically? 2) Are the species of immediate concern because of ecological/medical/agricultural importance? 3) is there funding available? and then some minor attributes - 4) are they well-curated? This saves a lot of work in the digitization process. 5) Do we have experts on the group available for consultation? 6) Are they pretty, or otherwise popular with the public?

[@memyselfiamweird]

That was so cool! Thanks Emily. Take us around more of the collections, please :3

[@KatrinaEames]

As someone who is very afraid of beetles for totally legitimate reasons - this was actually quite enjoyable.

[@Kazooga-wi5qn]

thx so much for showing us more of these interesting ha bisky insects i loved this a lot i always wanted a bug chain the best i could do was the glow in the dark chain that the science museum had with the scorpion in it i always wanted one of the glass ones with a pretty beetle or something like that

[@ChristopherBrecht]

Crystal is awesome.

[@Titanic_401]

I really loved this video because I love bugs. :3 Will you make another video about Lepidoptera? I really love butterflies and I would like to see the museum's Xerces Blue specimens. And I just wanted to ask one more question. I started a butterfly collection nearly 2 years ago and I have over 50 specimens, which are all identified, labeled and spread. Do amateur insect collections have any scientific value? For example if I donate my collection to a museum will it be able to be used for research? (I realised I asked 2 question, not 1. :P)

[@thebrainscoop]

+RMS Titanic 1912-2016 Yes! Amateur collections can be HUGELY important provided that every single specimen collected has locality and date information - so, when and where you found it. There are a number of amateur collections that have been donated to the Field over time.

[@Titanic_401]

***** Thank you! And thank you for replying! I really love the channel. :D

[@sherylhosler9487]

OMG, I want to visit/work in that pinned insect specimen room so bad!!!!!!!!!!!

[@CMARIEViolin]

Man this is my dream come true if i ever had the chance to go there. Its just so far far away from where i live

[@creaturedomes9364]

Love the video. And live the collection 🦂🦀🦎🦐🐜🕷🐛🦋

[@vieiraneves9564]

i'm in love with the bugs manager lady

[@SynchronisedMinds]

I have this entire collection in my back garden

[@blake343]

She's so excited about the insects lol great ep

[@VictorFursov]

Thank you for nice and funny presentation of collections. Good luck!

[@Acquavallo]

I want to see some more dissections, or Emily preparing specimens, even pinning bugs!

[@emilychristman9903]

Awesome! Really hope you do the new insect episode!

[@mansertwo]

10/10 would watch again

[@laurelcook9078]

Lol I have a tiny collection for uni and I managed to catch a single rove beetle I found under a log in my driveway. I named her Scorpion because she looks like a lil scorpion.

[@louisnastasi1251]

I'm a part of a similar databasing program at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History so if anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them!

[@ElJefeGrande123]

I'm now so excited!

[@JenniferAnnifer]

More collection tours please!

[@MrJoshSteel]

A) What stops the specimens in the cabinets from decomposing/rotting? B) Wouldn't putting a pin through each of them destroy the specimen?

[@thebrainscoop]

+Joshie Two big things are important to keeping insects intact post-mortem: one, keeping them dry as to prevent mold from growing. Their exoskeletons protect their insides so as long as they're dry they won't decompose or otherwise 'rot'. Two, keeping other insects - pest insects, like dermestids - from eating them up is imperative. Mothballs keep those types of insects away. Insects are pinned to the side, as their internal anatomy is basically symmetrical. Pinning in the middle is more damaging to the internal anatomy than pinning slightly off-center, to the side.

[@MrJoshSteel]

Thank you very much! Very informative :)

[@XanthoGrl]

lol I loved how Emily was singing at the end haha

[@ForagingGardener]

this is amazing! I wish I could draw the beetles ...there are so many!

[@DevinSloan]

Ha, this was a great episode, you two interact in a really relaxed and entertaining way.

[@moldnote]

did someone say something about an insect collection?

[@rptck1928]

so oddly adorable

[@experionu869]

beetles are so awesome

[@crnobijeli13]

"Do you want to look at some cocroaches" -"YES!"

[@ArcaneOwlchemist]

This is much better than my collection, which is just a mason jar full of bugs in my freezer.

[@allistarstrange9677]

Every time I think I have too many bugs, I watch this video

[@spbxl]

Love to see the utter joy you both have for science... keep up the great work!

[@leerose8628]

THATS AMAZING.

[@VictorFursov]

Nice story! Good luck and best wishes!

[@Shmeb__]

gotta catch 'em all :-)

[@THCBLADEWORKS]

great vid

[@anglohobbit]

"Gotta catch 'em all." Excellent :)