The Love Bugs

-Hair check.

-Your hair's okay.

-Well, it does tend to fly -- I did go out... -Yeah, well... -...side and it does tend to go ♪ ♪ I've got a lot of very beautiful insects, but this pair is very special and very distinct.

This is Gemens and this is Gematis.

They're the two most beautiful I have.

-Oh, I didn't think that was the most beautiful.

-Yeah, well, you didn't look at it under a scope.

[ Both chuckle ] You notice that we don't always agree.

[ Both chuckle ] My name is Charles O'Brien.

I'm a retired professor of entomology and have been studying weevils for 60 years.

-And I am Lois O'Brien, Charlie's wife, and I've been studying planthoppers for almost that long.

-This is a group of Philippine weevils that show great diversity in color and pattern, and they've been called clown weevils because they look as if they've been painted just the way the clowns paint their face.

-These are some of my favorites 'cause they have fancy noses.

I like them because they're different.

They're easy to sort.

They're easy to identify.

We estimate that we have a million-and-a-quarter dead insects mounted and labeled.

-And we have thousands of species, no question.

We've collected in more than 70 countries, in all of the continents.

That's dangerous as hell.

God.

-Well, this is the heavy one.

-Well, yeah, but this one... -Can you see?

-...keep it away from the edge here.

-When they fight, they use these horns to fight each other.

-Yeah, and I'm going to go sit down 'cause my back -- -And I'm going to take this out of here so it won't break anything.

You can have them again if you want them, but not now.

Oh.

-Oh, yeah.

This is me as a student here.

I was going to be a truck driver like my father.

My mother was adamant that I was to go to college.

-I was editor of the school paper.

Number of days absent -- zero.

"A," "A," "A," "A," "A."

Oh, I got an "A" minus.

Oh, I got a "B" in art... -A "B"?

-...and a "B" in penmanship.

-Oh, dear, that's terrible.

-[ Chuckles ] -That's a ridiculous picture.

And I went from my bachelor's degree in Connecticut to the University of Arizona in Tucson and became a teaching assistant there.

-I will be 90 years old.

Now, that I'm sort of proud of.

I was a med tech, and I decided to take night classes and maybe practice teach, so I got a job in the entomology department.

The professors asked if I would make coffee or tea.

Women's lib time.

I said, "Yes, I have a burner going all the time, but there's one condition.

I want to listen to you when you talk about insects when you're drinking your coffee and tea."

And they made it so fascinating that I said, "I don't want to be a teacher.

Insects can do anything that we could do, and they do it better.

I want to learn more about insects."

-And that's how Lois and I met, because she took the course in entomology, and I was the T.A.

And then I went on to Berkeley for my PhD.

-So I followed him.

-[ Chuckles ] We've been married for 55 years, as of the 2nd of June.

-I've always hated my nose.

-She's always hated her nose.

That's why she decided to work on fulgorids, because they have such weird noses.

-[ Laughing ] That's true.

This is called the peanut bug, because its head looks like a peanut.

They're very famous from Mexico to Argentina because people are deathly afraid of them.

And if I were a fulgorid, this is probably the one I'd choose to be.

The bump is a false eye spot, and there's a false nose spot also raised up, and on the side, there are... -Fake mouth parts.

-...fake teeth.

And I think that this looks to the people down there like a little alligator.

And so I think that's why they're afraid of them.

The people say that they zigzag through the forest, killing anything they touch, but they don't.

I think I'll leave out the part about having sex within 24 hours, but if you want me to put it in, it's up -- you want it in?

Okay.

-It's a song that everybody knows from Mexico to Argentina.

-One of the men in in the Andes wrote a song, "Ladies, I've been bitten by a machaca.

There's only one thing that will save my life, and you know what it is.

And I have to have it within 24 hours, so, ladies, please save my life."

♪ ♪ Okay, next project.

While Charlie was working at the university, I made 1,000 of the insect drawers.

I've never had one fall apart before, but this part came out, and I'm going to try to glue it back.

I feel like a child in kindergarten, painting -- finger-painting or something.

[ Chuckles ] Now, all I have to do is not step on it for the next eight hours.

So, there we are.

Put it on so it won't fall off.

And now we're going collecting.

And the idea is to hit them and then look to see what you have.

And so far I only have seeds.

-Lois is one of the top people in the field, and she's known to almost every fulgorid planthopper specialist in the world.

-3 times in 50 years I've collected more weevils than Charlie.

One time when we were dating, we were out collecting, and I found out that the insects were on the shady side of the tree, and I didn't tell him... -In the shade.

-...until I'd swept all the trees on the shady side.

The next time, he was collecting aquatic insects, and he was wading through the pond and I was at the side of the road.

And there was a weevil that's on some grass heads.

-On the bunch grasses.

-I just went along -- bang, bang, bang, bang.

-She got hundreds and hundreds of them.

-The third time, I was walking along a path and I said, "Charlie, there's a big weevil over here."

And he said, "No, that's a morpho butterfly."

I said, "Come closer.

It's a weevil."

We got it, and I said, "Charlie, this has more weight than all the weevils you've collected, so I count it as a day that I collected more weevil than you."

♪ -Science itself has not been supported, nor have scientists been recognized as what they're really worth to the world.

I plan to continue working as long as I'm physically and mentally capable of doing it, and Lois is the same.

So we're just scratching the surface as far as the importance of insects to us, and we're starting to realize how critical they are to us.

Only about 5% of insects are really well known as far as how they affect us.

We don't know enough about them to know what they're doing.

We don't know their life history.

We don't know whether they're good or bad or indifferent as far as nature is concerned, in some areas, thousands a day are disappearing because they're wiping out the habitats.

It's sad, and it's something we have seen again and again as we've collected over 60 years and gone back to places, the places are gone.

The forests are gone.

The insects are gone.

♪ These are what I'm going to be doing a book from eventually, if Lois keeps bugging me.

6/14/1960 -- this is in the Solomon Islands.

Began walking at 8:30.

Crossed the river 26 times -- hip-deep most places.

Got some fine weevils.

That particular year that I spent out there was one of the most exciting and informative of my entire life.

-[ Grunts ] I hope I'm not putting you upside down.

-Did you put the lens in?

-Not yet.

-Ah, I better do that.

Bees, wasps, ants, Dipthera moths.

These are all insects.

We digitized those 'cause we thought the insects were more important than pictures of us.

We still think so.

The reason he was chosen to go to the Solomon Islands was he was one of the two best collectors at Berkeley.

You've got electricity.

-Alright, turn the lights out.

[ Projector clicks, whirs ] I had a number of exciting experiences as an entomologist in the Antarctic, in the Solomon Islands.

-Turn around and look.

-I almost drowned when I was crossing a river, and then I went crashing down through about 20 or 30 feet of rocks into a pool below.

I went to the Antarctic.

The insects that we were trying to get were aeroplankton and things that were being blown from other continents.

I was sitting in the back of the plane with the doors off at 15 below zero, and on one occasion, we were going 75 to 80 miles an hour forward and 15 miles an hour sideways because of the wind.

The plane turned on its side and the wings were only six inches above the ice.

♪ I collected 14 to 16 hours a day frequently when I was in the field in the past, but now I'm unfortunately unable to walk around without falling.

Well, I'm mostly now an armchair taxonomist because of the balance problem associated with Parkinson's.

And we always pin them through the right side of the insect because insects are symmetrical and something in the center may not be duplicated, and if you destroy it, you can't see it.

But if you pin it to the right always, it's always going to have the left-hand side still visible.

And this goes on and on for thousands and thousands and eventually millions of specimens.

I have tremors.

They're pretty well-controlled by medicine, but when you get a specimen under a microscope, if you move it a fraction of a millimeter, it's like a telephone pole moving back and forth across the lens.

You have a very little movement allowed.

-Being a caretaker can be a stressful thing.

The first rule for a caretaker is take care of yourself.

That sounds selfish, but everything you read about caretakers says that.

You have to take care of yourself first.

This exercise class is very much because I think it helps your health, and this woman is so charming.

-Welcome to the movement class.

[ Indistinct conversation ] This is -- since you're already listening, this is from the Solomon Islands.

My husband collected insects there and brought back some of the things they had.

This is what they used to pound coconut meat.

-Wow.

-So they used this to pound coconut meat in the Solomon Islands.

-Do you have two of them to even yourself out?

-No.

-[ Chuckles ] Okay.

-Look up at the ceiling.

Allow the mouth to open slightly.

And center.

And look over the right shoulder.

[ Gasps ] Right shoulder.

Gotcha.

And then the elbows point upward, if you can, and then extend up.

-One, two... -Good, George.

-...three, four, five, six... -Perfect.

7, 8, 9, 10.

Good.

♪ She plays this song every time, it's I Love Arizona.

It's the Arizona state song.

-Sit tall, empty the lungs, and then take a deep breath through the nose.

Hold it.

Exhale through the mouth.

♪ -"Charles W. O'Brien.

Journal.

Antarctica, New Zealand and Solomon Islands."

And that's what Parkinson's does to your handwriting.

It's been... maybe...

I don't know.

Maybe 15, 20 years.

I don't know.

Without children, every day is essentially like the day before now.

We would have loved to have had them, but we didn't.

We wouldn't have the collection that we have now, but...

They didn't have all the external techniques then at that time.

"One day collecting."

"Checklist for Family Survivors: A Guide to Practical and Legal Matters When Someone You Love Dies."

And it has... -It has everything.

-...first things, action checklist, burial, celebration of life, charities, cremation, donation of organs, and it has... find out what's at the bank, learn what's available, in investments, check on insurance benefits, apply for survivors benefits -- -The point is, you fill all that in in here.

-There are blanks where you fill in the thing, and it's got a list of your family.

-Well, you've had it for two years, and there's nothing in it.

-There's some things in it.

-Yeah, but not much.

-Well, a lot of the stuff I have to look up.

-[ Chuckles ] -I do.

-I know.

-They need to -- -Should spend a half an hour every day on it.

-Yeah, I should.

-When I start -- when I start doing the dictating the book, you do that for -- every day.

-Okay, but you see that pile of papers over there?

-Don't give me the excuses why you can't do it.

I've got reasons I can't do it, too.

That's the problem.

-They're financial papers... -Uh-huh.

-...and it's written for one person, so -- so some things -- you're supposed to put in your parents, your grandparents, your cousins, all that stuff, and I'm just going to put in one.

"After the service, the floral arrangements will be distributed as follows -- nursing home, hospital, senior, center, other."

I've arranged -- -And I'm going to get cremated, so I don't give a damn about any of this stuff.

-"The casket will be closed?

Open?

The deceased will wear --" -She hates fires, so she doesn't want to be cremated.

-Yeah, yeah.

So that's what I'll emphasize.

Okay, thank you.

[ Speaks indistinctly ] -I got to turn this around... ...so I can get to it when I need to get up later.

With the falls that I was having, 21 falls in 15 months and then the fracturing of the back, I'm limited now with what I can do, and I'm limited more all the time.

Well, I'm 84, and I've got Parkinson's.

A lot of Parkinson's patients don't survive as long as I've had it, 25 years.

-I can put it in a case, or I can put it on a shelf.

-Just put it on the shelf, on the open something.

Okay.

These are the stag beetles.

-That's a big fly.

-That's not a fly.

That's a wasp.

And that's the wasp that we drank the liquor from.

That's another story.

I can't get up and reach these drawers any longer, and I can't carry them, so I'm stuck with being able to work only when someone is here to help me.

It's frustrating as can be, to look out and know all of the weevils that are out there that I would love to be able to collect.

There are new species everywhere.

The estimate of our collection is $10 million, but we don't think of it in terms of money.

We think of it in terms of scientific value.

It's a world-class collection that's probably the largest private collection in the world.

Since we don't have children, we are giving our estate to the Arizona State University as well as the collection.

-There's one unit tray here that has a few compared with type, and then most of the others are -- -Well, you could take half of it.

-Sure.

At present, we're doing the transfer in phases.

The O'Briens remain active scientists, but at the same time appreciate a tightened collection.

-They're in nice shape, too.

Yeah, I remember that.

-I've been to many people's private collections, and nothing compares to this.

This collection for the group that it represents is world-class for sure.

-They've taken 76 drawers full of specimens already, but that's a drop in the bucket 'cause we have 1,268 drawers.

♪ [ Indistinct talking in distance ] -I was asked to identify some immature fulgorids from caves in Texas, and, you know, having Lois here where I can directly ask her questions about -- you know, it's better than, you know, if I photograph it in Texas and then I send her the link and she looks at it and, you know, it's -- but here I can come and everything's already identified and the window is closing on the opportunity to come here.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] You know, the amount of effort that went into just this here, it's got a label, there was a dissection of the genitalia, there's a locality label, there's a gender label.

I mean, you know, that could have been an hour or something, you know?

And so... [ Chuckles ] [ Camera shutter clicks ] -Since we decided the collection was going up there, we knew that eventually we'd have to move up there.

It's a major decision that had to be made.

It's going to take a lot of time and effort to do.

-Charlie has so much knowledge, and if he's up there, then he will be sharing it with people and the collection will be worked on and so there's so many pluses to it that it's worth it.

♪ -I would suggest you just focus on "A," resting, "B," you know, what's really essential for you to live here, -Yeah.

-...outside of the research collection.

-Yeah.

-Don't worry about certain things that are more down the road than others.

Okay.

-Yeah.

-Usually, I don't worry at all, but this takes a little bit of planning.

-No, I understand.

Focus on your personal belongings, whatever critical information you have.

-Sounds good.

-Yep, sounds good.

♪ -I'm just trying to do a little bit each day.

The little engine that could.

So these are all empty, all ready for students to use.

-I'll grab it.

-I'm going to set this behind you.

-What that might be -- -Specimens?

-These might be specimens.

-[ Chuckles ] Yep.

-Yep.

And this might be specimens.

-One.

-One.

This one's two.

Yours would be 001.

002.

-Understand now.

I understand now.

And then that's why I need... [ Thunder crashes ] -We want to start from, like, the middle, 'cause what we'll do is the first drawer that you're pulling off would be that first drawer that goes in up top.

This next one's a really good one.

-Fulgora.

-Sweet.

Look at this one right here.

-Oh, my God.

-It looks so cool.

-I'm moving to the Philippines.

-Right?

-Little red heads right here.

So shiny.

-Yeah, two tone.

-Oh, look, these orange dot -- like, clowns.

Oh, yeah.

-Clowns.

[ Chuckles ] -Clown.

Golly.

[ Thunder rumbles ] [ Rain falling ] -Oh!

Did you?

-Let's get these in.

-Close the door.

-Yeah, watch out, y'all.

[ Indistinct talking ] -A new record.

[ Chuckles ] One and a half inches, One and one half inches.

Wow.

♪ -Yeah, I got it.

You guys save your strengths.

♪ ♪ -Is there any bugs in here?

-No.

-Okay.

You sure about that?

-There has never been that I know of.

Those three yogurt things, I have no idea, but I would check them.

-[ Chuckles ] -Yep, yep, yep.

♪ ♪ -Hooray.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And everybody from Mexico to Argentina is afraid of these things because they zigzag through the forest, killing anything they touch like.

-[ Chuckling ] Oh, my gosh.

♪ -So... -None of them?

-It's probably a new species.

-Mm-hmm.

-What we're trying to do here is improve accessibility to the collection.

We're going to database and digitize a lot of the specimens.

We're focusing right now on Mexico and Central America.

-This corresponds to only Charlie's collection for this region.

1,853 specimens.

There's a practical and then there's a human aspect to it.

For those of us who do this, we collection folks or taxonomists or systematists, it's actually an expression of our appreciation and curiosity for nature.

-This guy underneath the microscope looks like a disco ball.

-There are multiple thousands of species that are new to science in the collection and then the unparalleled amount of attention expertise that has been applied to essentially every specimen in the collection and that -- that makes it irreplaceable and invaluable.

-The insect collection will be here for a couple of centuries.

So, in a way, our work is immortal.

♪ ♪ -It's just so cool to see both of their names on so many specimens.

He probably collected that 'cause he saw it and brought it back for Lois.

What better way to show your love than to bring someone insect specimens?

I mean, there is none.

[ Chuckles ] For an entomologist, anyway.

-I would describe Lois as an amazing and talented and extremely competent individual who can do almost anything except throw things or catch things.

[ Laughs ] -I would describe Charlie as an Irish raconteur.

He can tell stories, any kind of story, and make it interesting and a very gifted student of weevils.

Weevils are difficult to identify.

And a happy person.

-[ Laughs ] When you ask questions, particularly about our love for each other, that's just beyond me to analyze it and explain it.

We're scientists.

We're not behaviorists.

We don't think in terms of trying to determine how this happened or why it happens.

It's just there.

-[ Laughs ] -Oh, dear.

Just give me a minute.

-I found it, Charlie.

-We've had our differences, and still we get along.

As you can see, we fill in each other's sentences at times.

Take a look at these.

After all, 55 years together.

-The word "love" to me means sharing.

It makes one a whole person.

Yes, that's what love is.

It's hard to explain.

-We're in sync, we share, and we've always done that.

-Uh-oh.

[ Chuckles ] -We're still, on occasion not agreeing with each other, but that's because we're evenly matched as Lois says.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪