At the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), summer brings more than heat, it brings insects! Through its annual Bug Week celebration and the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology Field Camp, known as “Bug Camp,” the university in partnership with 4-H introduces young students to the science of insects in a hands-on, immersive setting.
For two UF/IFAS students, Bug Camp did more than spark curiosity. It helped shape their lifelong friendship and academic and career paths.
Alex Switt and Christian Compton first met as fourth graders at Bug Camp. Now sophomores and roommates at UF, both are majoring in entomology, a decision they credit to their years attending the camp.
“I’ve been into bugs my whole life,” said Christian Compton. “But before Bug Camp, I was just kind of in the dirt a lot, out in the woods and generally interested in bugs.”
Compton now serves as a senior Bug Camp counselor, mentoring students much like he once was. “After the first year I went to Bug Camp, it was consistent. I genuinely loved it and I was waiting to be able to actually do entomology.”
Alex Switt’s mom is a science teacher, and summer learning experiences were always on the agenda.
“She didn’t expect me to really take to it,” Switt said. “But now she has to deal with me bringing bugs into her house.”
At camp, Switt said his interest quickly evolved into more technical skills.
“I was specifically into catching bugs to collect different species and (at Bug Camp) we went directly into taxidermy and pinning insects,” said Switt.
The UF/IFAS program combines fieldwork, lab experience and interaction with faculty, graduate students and professionals.
Participants collect specimens, learn preservation techniques and explore how insect science connects to agriculture, ecosystems and human health.
Rebecca Baldwin, associate professor for the Department of Entomology and Nematology, and Director of the department’s Education and Outreach program said she designed the program to purposefully expose youth and student leaders to the breadth of the discipline.
“The campers get to experience our department, our classrooms, our labs, our campus field sites, and interact with university students,” Baldwin said. “We also travel to the Santa Fe River to collect aquatic insects, host a family night insect collecting trip, and visit amazing resources such as the UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab’s Apiary.”
“The camp is already in its 16th year,” said Baldwin. “Each year we explore a different theme and focus. The 2026 camp will focus on rearing insects for research and as pets by comparing and inspecting store bought ant habitats. Campers will collect and curate insects using a variety of collection techniques.”
While designed to be accessible and fun, the program offers a firsthand look at academic and career pathways through interactions with UF undergraduate or graduate student role models.
“One cool thing about going for eight years is seeing the counselors doing field work, getting their degrees, accomplishing their goals, going off to grad school or working in the field and it really becomes a sense of, ‘I want to do that,’” said Compton.
For Switt, mentorship played a key role. He recalls a counselor named George who helped him connect entomology with mathematics.
“He had a pretty big effect on me because I would ask how I could relate (Bug Camp) to what I was learning like calculus or statistics,” said Switt. “Now, I’m mainly doing entomology and partially doing math on the side with a statistics minor.”
Both students said the program also opened doors to research and volunteer opportunities, including internships and work with the Florida Museum of Natural History.
“Alex and Christian are both just going into their second year as university students and are already encouraging and impacting the next generation of entomologists attending Bug Camp,” said Baldwin.
The UF/IFAS Department of Entomology and Nematology is among the largest programs of its kind in the United States and is one of the few to offer comprehensive training in nematology, the study of microscopic roundworms.
For Compton, Bug Camp played a defining role in his decision to attend UF. “If it wasn’t for Bug Camp, I might not have ended up here,” he said.
Both students say the program’s benefits extend beyond academics.
“If you’ve got a kid who wants to do Bug Camp, I would say it’s 100% one of the best opportunities,” said Compton. “You’ll never regret it and it’s an amazing field of study to end up in.”
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ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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