Bug Brouhaha

They started as a classroom curiosity, but the bugs that a teacher brought to her Hacienda Heights classroom are now puzzling county, state and federal officials who are trying to figure out what the stick-like insects are and where they came from.

The schoolchildren at Shadybend Elementary seem to enjoy having the long-legged bugs crawl up their arms and across their shoulders.

But state agriculture officials are somewhat warier of the critters, which resemble matchsticks with six legs and antennae. And on Wednesday, authorities asked that some of the insects be shipped to state entomologists for identification and observation. They also asked that schools and other organizations harboring the insects stop passing them around.

The problem, federal, state and local officials said, is that they don’t know if the plant eaters originated in the United States, in which case they apparently would pose little or no risk, or if they are an exotic species that potentially could harm California plant life.

And considering Los Angeles’ reputation as a gateway for foreign pests, officials would rather be prudent.

“We want to encourage kids to understand insects . . . but we also have to be careful,” said Los Angeles County entomologist Rosser Garrison, whose office is helping monitor the situation. “We don’t want to allow the introduction of a foreign pest.”

The hoopla comes as a surprise to more than a dozen teachers who have made homes for the insects in classroom terrariums. They say students enjoy measuring the walking sticks and observing their camouflage.

“They’re great pets because they don’t fly and they don’t bite,” said Vicky Bennett, a teacher at Shadybend Elementary. She said she wanted to return the animals to the 48th District Agricultural Assn. in Walnut, which distributed the insects to schools, but her students wouldn’t hear of it.

Entomology experts emphasize that there is still too little known about the walking sticks. Arthur Evans, director of the insect zoo at the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, said that although walking sticks generally eat very slowly, researchers are unsure what distinct varieties of the insect would choose to feed on if set loose in California.

“Any plant-feeding insect out of its range is a potential pest,” Evans said. “But whether this particular animal is a threat in Southern California remains to be seen.”

A state Department of Food and Agriculture spokesman agreed, saying that the move to stop the Walnut agricultural group from distributing the insects was intended as a precaution.

“It appears that [the walking stick] is an insignificant pest because there is no evidence that it would cause economic damage,” spokesman Kevin Herglotz said. “There is [also] no evidence to suggest it is breeding in California out of captivity.”

Even so, a regional spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the insects’ population could explode if they don’t have natural predators in the state. This is partly why state and federal permits are required to import exotic insects.

“The bottom line is that [exotic walking sticks] are considered a pest insect,” USDA spokesman Larry Hawkins said.

The insects’ distribution largely to schools in Southeast Los Angeles County can be traced to the agricultural group, an educational association that for years provided area schools with agricultural materials such as farm animals and hydroponic plants, deputy manager Troy Bowers said.

The office obtained a permit for the insects. But other than the fact that they were donated by a San Dimas teacher, Bowers said, it is a mystery where the bugs came from.

“We’re trying to provide an educational opportunity for kids,” he said.

Since Wednesday’s call from state officials, Bowers said he has been busy trying to make a list of the teachers who received the insects. He estimates that no more than nine elementary schools in the county received insects, each of which got no more than 10 walking sticks apiece.

Some teachers, however, have passed out the bugs on their own. Donna Howing, director of La Habra United Methodist Preschool in Orange County, said she has given out walking sticks to about 10 preschool teachers and several college instructors. Each receives a notice that the insects may not be released into the wild, as well as an offer to take back any unwanted walking sticks.

“It’s been a great experience for our children,” Howing said. “[The insects] are a low-maintenance activity . . . you throw in some rose leaves and they’re very happy.”

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About the Walking Stick

* Walking sticks are green- or brown-colored insects belonging to the Phasmatidae family, which encompasses about 2,000 species.

* Certain species of the twig-like plant eaters can grow to more than a foot in length, while others grow no longer than three inches.

* Most walking sticks are tropical, and even domestic varieties are rarely found in the Los Angeles Basin.

* Their tastes are so specific that it is difficult for them to adapt to new environments.

* If one of a walking stick’s legs is broken off, it has the ability to grow a replacement.