Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Bug Dawgs will host their 30th annual Insect Zoo Open House on April 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the lawn of the Miller Plant Science Building. The entomology department’s educational event is free and open to the public.
The Insect Zoo Open House will feature a photo booth, live bug exhibits, roach races, cricket spitting, beetle tractor pulls and tasty snacks made from insects. Activities for children include face painting, insect painting and other crafts.
“The Insect Zoo’s hands-on approach to learning makes this 30th annual community open house very exciting, as it offers an interactive and engaging experience for visitors,” said Marianne Shockley, an entomologist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Through the Insect Zoo, they hope “to teach people to appreciate insects and understand their importance in our lives.
“Being such a large milestone, the UGA Bug Dawgs hope to exceed all expectations and host the best insect zoo yet.”
The UGA Bug Dawgs are students who represent the UGA department of entomology by educating the local community and spreading awareness of entomology-related topics, causes and issues. Through a traveling insect zoo, the students bring living insects and arachnids—as well as museum specimens from Georgia and other parts of the world—to schools, libraries, organizations and community centers for interactive displays. For more information, email entomolo@uga.edu.
This event is part of the college’s inaugural CAES Spring Showcase. For more about other Spring Showcase events, see http://students.caes.uga.edu/events/spring-showcase.cfm/. To share Spring Showcase experiences, use #CAESSpringShowcase.