What: 5th Annual Hokie BugCamp, where kids get hands-on experience collecting, identifying, handling and learning about the wide variety of insects.  Held on the Virginia Tech campus and co-sponsored by the Virginia Tech Department of Entomology and Virginia Cooperative Extension - Montgomery County 4-H, Hokie BugCamp is jam packed with activities that will leave campers bug-crazed and bug-amazed!

When: July 19, 2018 (8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ages 6-8) and July 20, 2018 (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ages 9-13).

Location: Seitz Hall and Hahn Horticulture Gardens, call for exact times/locations.    

Visuals:

·         With nets in hand, young entomologists will learn how to collect and identify insects – where to look for hard-to-find critters, and how to scoop and transfer specimens.

·         Once mesh cages are full, campers will pin, label, and display their insects during the Build Your Own Collection session.

·         Campers will sample different flavors of honey and examine a working beehive.

·         Kids will also discover vampire insects such as dreaded bed bugs, ticks, and other bloodsuckers. 

·         Interested in insects as pets?  Graduate student mentors will explain how to set up healthy habitats, what foods to feed, and which critters can be handled safely.

·         BugCamp would not be complete without a tour of Virginia Tech’s own Bug Zoo where kids can admire giant tarantulas, hold Madagascar hissing roaches, and see blue death-feigning beetles.

For news coverage, contact:  Bill Foy, Virginia Tech media relations – 540-998-0288 or Dana K. Beegle, Department of Entomology – 540-231-8715.

Share this story