Athens, Ga. – The 29th annual Insect Zoo Open House at the University of Georgia will be held April 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in front of the Miller Plant Sciences Building. Hosted by the entomology department’s Bug Dawgs, the educational event is free and open to the public.
The Insect Zoo Open House will feature a photo booth, live bug exhibits, roach races, 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 29th annual community event 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.”
As an outreach arm of the entomology department, the UGA Bug Dawgs strive to educate the local community and spread awareness of entomology-related topics and issues. Through a travelling insect zoo, the students bring living insects, centipedes, millipedes, scorpions and spiders—as well as museum specimens from Georgia and other parts of the world—to schools, libraries, organizations and community centers.
For more information on the travelling insect zoo, email entomolo@uga.edu.
