The name Hairy Maggot Blowfly sounds like something from a nightmare. And it may be, since it helps decompose carcasses. Yet it is still one of Sonja Peters' favorite insects.

Being terrified of such tiny creatures is silly, says Peters, an entomology major working toward her master's degree at the University of Florida.

"Although insects look like aliens, they are for the most part harmless," she says. "The good insects outweigh the dangerous ones by a long shot."

And she would know. Peters has 1,600 organized and identified insects in her collection. While most of the specimens are pinned to Styrofoam in wood boxes, others are still in the freezer, waiting to be identified.

"They add up quickly," says the twenty-three-year-old Peters, who has plenty of help accumulating her unusual collection. When friends find bugs, whether in or out of their apartment, they call on her to grab them. Even her mom freezes insects and mails them to Peters.

"My mom, who works in the office at a school, sent lice eggs for my collection," she says, laughing. "She enjoys it."

But why shouldn't we just smoosh those multi-legged pests?

Insects hold the key to life, says Peters. They can adapt to different lifestyles and survive in places few can. They are fascinating once people realize what they do.

"If it wasn't for insects, we would be walking knee deep in animal and human carcasses," says Peters.

-- By Melissa Butheau