Insects jobs?

[Crocodylidae]

Hello,

So I'm not sure in where section I should post it, sorry if this is the wrong one, this post is going to be pretty short. (compared to my other ones..)
I was just wondering: is there any other jobs about invertebrates other than entomology? Do people who breed insects and then sell them do so as a full job, and is this easy to do? (if my question makes sense)
Thanks!​

 

[BenLeeKing]

Personally if you be a breeder who selling, you don't really make much, so making it your full job is not feasible.
All the time and money spent in care, and pet bugs aren't really on high demand on the market any way. I see it as mostly making back the money you spent in the hobby, a good side hustle, but yeah.

 

[Aquarimax]

There are those who manage to make a living selling invertebrates, but it is harder than you might think. Peter at bugsincyberspace does it, but he built his business for years first while still working a day job.

 

[ThemantismanofPA]

@Aquarimax is exactly right. peter worked for i think 20+ years doing insect selling as a side job, he just became able to quit a few years ago. Its very hard to sell bugs full time, nigh impossible until you get the type of backing he has.

 

[chanda]

Since raising/selling pet invertebrates has aleady been covered, here are a few other bug-related options that are not about entomology:

Pest control - identifying and treating infestations of bed bugs, cockroaches, termites, etc. Not exactly the "fun" side of bugs - but an important service.

Breeding/selling feeder and/or bait insects - I'm not sure if you could make a living at it, as there are a number of established companies that already do this, but there is a broader consumer base and a lot more demand for feeders and bait than just for pet insects. In order for it to be economically feasible, you'd need a lot of space because individual prices are quite low - it's all about volume.

Bee keeping - ok, so it's just one kind of invertebrate, and you'd need a large operation to make any money at it. It's another one of those things that a lot of people do just as a side job/hobby to make a litle extra money. Some bee keepers will also do bee removal, collecting and relocating swarms that take up residence somewhere inappropriate, if they can be safely moved.

Pet bug-related merchandise - again, probably better as a sideline, but if you can make good quality enclosures without spending an arm and a leg on supplies, you could make a bit of money selling enclosures and accessories. While most pet invertebrates can be kept in cheap enclosures like plastic deli cups, some people do prefer the look of a "store bought" enclosure. Some people will also pay a premium for enclosures that are already set up with substrate, backgrounds, decor - and sometimes special features like a built-in pool or other water feature. You can also make/sell substrate - particularly the wood-based flake soils and leaf litter that are needed for beetles, millipedes, etc.

Pinned/preserved invertebrates - if you can collect and pin (or purchase inexpensively) good-looking pinned invertebrates, you can mount them attractively/creatively in deep frames or shadow boxes and sell them as works of art. I saw a guy at the LA County Museum Bug Fair that did camo boxes, where he set up a background of bark, twigs, leaves, fake flowers, etc. - then filled it with pinned insects that exhibited various types of camouflage. The challenge was to see how many of the insects you could find. They were absolutely gorgeous! (Again, this is more likely to be a sideline than an actual job.)

 

[Smotzer]

Pinned/preserved invertebrates - if you can collect and pin (or purchase inexpensively) good-looking pinned invertebrates, you can mount them attractively/creatively in deep frames or shadow boxes and sell them as works of art. I saw a guy at the LA County Museum Bug Fair that did camo boxes, where he set up a background of bark, twigs, leaves, fake flowers, etc. - then filled it with pinned insects that exhibited various types of camouflage. The challenge was to see how many of the insects you could find. They were absolutely gorgeous! (Again, this is more likely to be a sideline than an actual job.)

I do this, but it certainly can’t be a full time job it’s just something to do on the side for a little extra cash and a lot of fun!
But to get into this you have to have a lot of pinned specimens regularly, and you have to be extremely good at pinning them. Plus shadow boxes (at least nice ones) are expensive.

I also used to work as a Plant Health care technician and held a pesticide applicator license. And to be honest being a insect lover and someone getting an entomolgy degree, it sucks having to kill insects everyday you work. Plus the chemicals are heavy duty and prolonged exposure can make you really sick if you aren’t properly protected. It’s not a great job n

 

[Crocodylidae]

Thanks!
I actually used to think that breeding/selling could be done as a full job but at the same time this doesn't surprise me because I don't find anything on it online.
I think the thing who would interest me the most would be bee keeping between all of those (for the reasons Smotzer mentionned, pest control would not be the ideal for me, though is it important), even though I don't know much about bees but this sounds interesting, so maybe I'll try to learn about it even if it's just a side thing.
I will probably do a stage in a petstore or something because sometimes there is like a few insects but after this I'll try to see for something more 'serious'. Back to entomology, is this something great to do? Do you have to be very good at a certain subject (except invertrebrates) for this? I like insects but not really into the scientific aspect and all but I could try to get into it as well if this is the best option.
And even if I can't do anything insect-related, I would like at least something animal-related but there seems to be so..not enough jobs about it. (or maybe I'm just searching wrong)

 

[Smotzer]

Thanks!
I actually used to think that breeding/selling could be done as a full job but at the same time this doesn't surprise me because I don't find anything on it online.
I think the thing who would interest me the most would be bee keeping between all of those (for the reasons Smotzer mentionned, pest control would not be the ideal for me, though is it important), even though I don't know much about bees but this sounds interesting, so maybe I'll try to learn about it even if it's just a side thing.
I will probably do a stage in a petstore or something because sometimes there is like a few insects but after this I'll try to see for something more 'serious'. Back to entomology, is this something great to do? Do you have to be very good at a certain subject (except invertrebrates) for this? I like insects but not really into the scientific aspect and all but I could try to get into it as well if this is the best option.
And even if I can't do anything insect-related, I would like at least something animal-related but there seems to be so..not enough jobs about it. (or maybe I'm just searching wrong)

To answer your question about entomolgy, I’m pursuing a degree in it and I love it! If your interested in insects and doing something more with if I would encourage you to look into seeing if any community college or universities offer any entomology courses and check it out and see if you like it. And usually you can take it for non-credit. When I took my first entomology course I absolutely fell in love with it and I got to learn so much. also down the road allowed me to do scientific projects about monitoring moth populations in my area and also papers on the differences between using different bait attractants for moths. It’s one of the best classes you can take if your interested in insects

 

[AuroraLights]

@MasterOogway is the invert keeper for the Oregon Zoo, maybe he can give some advice?

 

[Arthroverts]

If you want to make money...become either a pest control person or get your education in entomology and see what doors open up for you there. @wizentrop is an example of the latter.

If you want to be really immersed in rearing invertebrates but not have to go through the hassle of getting your degree in entomology, you can try and become a breeder. However a mentor/friend who used to be one of the premier millipede suppliers (@SDCPs) in the US told me you really can't make a good living breeding and selling specimens. There is no real money in it and even if you work like crazy you may still not break even.

Those are only a few examples but they are the one's I am most knowledgeable on.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[pannaking22]

Agreed with getting the degree if that's what interests you and that's what you want (speaking as someone who has a degree in entomology). A lot of things open up with that degree, but depending on the route you take it's not easy. Plus for most jobs you'll need at least a Master's. But if you get that there's a wide variety of jobs out there.

 

[AuroraLights]

I thought of another thing, it's also probably only a sideline thing and would be SUPER hard and impractical to get into, but I thought I'd mention it because I found it interesting:
Martin French from BugzUK works with filmcrews to provide invertebrates and make sure the set is set up properly to safely and humanely film them. Apparently he worked on Micro Monsters 3D and got to meet Sir David Attenborough! On IMDb he's listed as a 'bug wrangler' under the crew section.
If you're curious, you should check out the About Us page on his website, or maybe even his Facebook page. He's also planning to open the largest invertebrate park in the UK in April 2021, which I'm super excited about! Although it probably doesn't mean a lot to those of you who aren't British.

 

[MasterOogway]

Thanks for the mention @AuroraLights. The zoo field is definitely a viable career path. You don't necessarily need an entomology degree (although it would certainly help, and at least some ento classes in college at minimum), but you would need some wildlife/bio degree. It's a great field to work in. You get a great variety of inverts to work with and you get to teach the public about how awesome inverts are. I would say the only downside is that zoo invert jobs are pretty sparse; and you may end up working in another area of the zoo until an Insect position opens up. It's still fun (I used to work large carnivores, birds, and some hoofstock) and you can work with some animals you never thought you would love until you work with them. Pay rates are definitely increasing in a lot of zoos too, so while you certainly won't be rich, it's comparable to a lot of other entomology type jobs you can do. You can check out available jobs here, at the AZA website.