The Good Life – May-June 2018

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WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA They use your food as a landing pad. They bathe in your beverages. They poop on your cars. They get in your face. They can be terrifying, but if you take the time to view them through a new lens, bugs can be fascinating and sometimes beautiful. For Donald Carey, “The Bug Man,” the world of insects is his livelihood. As an entomologist for nearly 50 years, Carey has worked for the federal government and a private agriculture company. His longest running position has been in his current role as a research specialist for the North Dakota State University Entomology Department where he works with livestock entomology, biocontrol, and production control to help various crops. For those who study bugs, their fascination with these organisms can become an obsession, a constant distraction available everywhere they turn. According to Carey, he’s never quite fit the stereotype of entomologists. “The typical entomologist is a guy wearing khaki, shorts, a pith helmet, thick glasses and carrying a “The typical entomologist is a guy wearing khaki, shorts, a pith helmet, thick glasses and carrying a net. We have a guy in our department who fits the bill perfectly.” 18 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
Meet this beautiful girl ... George the 9th net. We have a guy in our department who fits the bill perfectly. I never went that way,” Carey said. “I was always an ag boy. I was in production and control, but there was a faction of people in our department who lived and breathed collecting insects. If it’s not eating my food or biting me, I don’t care about it. I grew up on a farm, so if there was an insect, you stepped on it or swatted at it.” Initially a wildlife management major in college, Carey was soon persuaded by his friend to take a few entomology classes. “My next door neighbor in the dorms was crazy — nice, but crazy. He’s a good guy. He was even in my wedding. He was in entomology and convinced me to take a few classes. I took them and I liked them. So this is all my crazy next-door neighbor’s fault.” Years after he started at NDSU, Carey was invited to speak at a kindergarten classroom about insects. Since then, he’s been known as “The Bug Man.” He has given presentations that capture the attention of elementary students for 40 years. He’s even dressed as a cockroach. “My presentations have to be entertaining. A lot of times my presentations are to 5th, 6th and 7th graders. At that age, science is starting to become boring. I try to keep it interesting. I ask them if they like honey. Well, you don’t have to call it honey. Think about it. When a bee has to move honey from one colony to the next, how do they transport it? They basically have a honey stomach, so they swallow it and then regurgitate it. You can call it honey, but I call it bee barf. It’s good for you, it’s nutritious, and it’s something an insect threw up.” Living Organisms What we do to get rid of one pest can greatly and sometimes gravely impact humans, as well. Part of an entomologist’s job is to guide the actions of farmers and pesticide and insecticide companies from doing more harm than good for the sake of a good yield of crops. “The disadvantage of killing bugs is that when you kill a bug, you tend to kill other things,” Carey said. “In my outreach program where I talk to kids, I used urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 19
Page 2 and 3: FATHERS // MR. FULL-TIME DAD Milest
Page 4 and 5: CELEBRATING 5 YEARS OF THE GOOD LIF
Page 6 and 7: spring LAWN CARE TIPS Get Your Lawn
Page 8 and 9: DAVID ALLEN LOVERS ARE LIARS, GAMBL
Page 10 and 11: Are Liars, Gamblers, and Thieves”
Page 12 and 13: Ask 30 WOMEN WHAT DOES HE WEAR THAT
Page 14 and 15: HAVING A BEER WITH // KYLE IVERSON
Page 16 and 17: HAVING A BEER WITH // KYLE IVERSON
Page 20 and 21: ON THE COVER // DONALD CAREY Indian
Page 22 and 23: ON THE COVER // DONALD CAREY Cockro
Page 24 and 25: Gin. Only Better. Minions Gin by Pr
Page 26 and 27: WRITTEN BY: KRISTI HUBER • PHOTOS
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Page 30 and 31: LOCAL HERO // JASON HICKS 30 / THE
Page 32 and 33: LOCAL HERO // JASON HICKS PHOTOS SU
Page 34 and 35: LOCAL HERO // JASON HICKS Moorhead

The Good Life – May-June 2018

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