Insects live almost everywhere on earth. Beetle larvae can be found in tide pools, flies cruise the coastline, and some water striders live on the open ocean. Harry Nelson, a BugCamp lecturer, studies elmid beetles, which are found in streams. Insects are quite tolerant of harsh environmental conditions. In the winter, most insects are dormant, waiting under bark or leaf litter for spring to come. Other insects live in very restricted habitats. For example, some species of bat flies (a parasite of bats) only live on a single species of bat. Matt Dean and Rupert Wenzel, two lecturers of BugCamp, study this group of insects.
		Photos courtesy of Bill Ballard.