Insect science is the new frontier

“If you ever need someone to help with bartending at the pub, just give me a call and I’d be happy to come over one night and help out.” This was the parting offer from a local landscaper to the owners of Soldier of the Sea Distillery, Mark Davis and Jennifer Berry, at the close of a discussion about future plans for a patio and outdoor space at their newly opened distillery in Comer, Georgia.

As a child, Michelle Samuel-Foo would wake early on Saturday mornings to help her mother get the crops ready for market. She loved working on her family’s farm, where they grew everything from spinach to okra to tomatoes. Being in the field and watching insects do their jobs to help — or sometimes hinder — the family’s efforts to make a living from the land were a favorite pastime.