Writer: D'Lyn Ford
LAS CRUCES--More than 670 local school children will get a close-up look at the world of bugs at an Insect Expo Feb. 23 at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces.
"Kids will get to see some very interesting live critters," said Carol Sutherland, an entomologist with New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service. "We call some of them 'Oh-My' insects because they are rather unique looking--very pretty, large and unusually marked."
A honey bee activity will provide information about bees--what they do in nature and what happens inside bee hives. A honey tasting will tempt kids' taste buds and test whether they can identify sources of the different kinds of honey that bees make.
Roach races and Insect Olympics are just two of the fun games that will be offered. In the Insect Olympics students will record how fast they can run, flap their "wings," jump and lift weights to compare themselves to various star insect athletes, Sutherland said.
In "Be a Bug," another game offered, children can experience what it feels like to be an insect by looking through the eyes of an insect model.
A variety of art activities will include coloring insects and making butterfly hats.
The Southwestern Branch of the Entomological Society of America, joint sponsor of the Insect Expo, will meet Feb. 24-26 in Las Cruces.
For more information about the meeting or the expo, contact Sutherland at (505)646-1132.
© 2013 New Mexico State University Board of Regents
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