Bugs in bugs: the fascinating friendship between insects and microbes

Please join Nature Guelph on May 8, 2025 at 7:30 pm for a presentation by Yanira Jiménez Padilla about the microbes found in insects. Everyone is welcome!
Insects are the most diverse and abundant group of animals in the world, but they’re not alone. Virtually all insects carry beneficial microbes inside and out. The microbes get a ride and a meal while keeping their insect host healthy. Unknown to most, this unique relationship has also benefited us — think about wine and sourdough where insect-borne microbes were crucial in their development. These creepy crawlies and their “bugs” may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the closer you look and the more you learn, the more beauty you discover.
Originally from Mexico, Yanira Jiménez Padilla is now a PhD student in the Sinclair lab at Western University, where her love for all things BUG has grown. As part of her graduate degree, Yanira studies how the microbes that live inside the gut of insects affect their health. One of Yanira’s passions is to participate in outreach events, teach, mentor, and talk to anyone who wants to listen about the wonderful world of insects.
Photo: Dr. Horst Neve, Max Rubner-Institut, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
COVID PROTOCOLS

Masks recommended but not required. Please do not attend if you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID.
ABOUT NATURE GUELPH

Nature Guelph is an active community of nature lovers connecting people with nature and inspiring them to celebrate and protect it. We host monthly Speaker Series presentations, offer interest-specific programs for wildflower and bird lovers, lead outdoor events that celebrate our natural spaces, and offer educational and inspiring youth programs. We also partner with other local, like-minded organizations on a number of local conservation, citizen science and advocacy initiatives.
THIS EVENT IS FREE BUT DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.

Suggested donation of $5 for non-members. Charitable receipts available for donations over $10. If you enjoy our events and programs, consider buying an annual membership. http://www.natureguelph.ca/membership/
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Photo: NIAID, CC BY 2.0