Insectival Returns to the County Museum

Visitors of all ages can take a hands-on journey into the world of bugs at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands during Insectival on Saturday, March 22 from 10 AM to 5 PM. All Insectival activities are included with paid museum general admission. Explore the fascinating world of arthropods—insects, arachnids, myriapods, and more. Family fun activities include insect games, take-home creepy-crawly craft creations, Believe It or Not bugs trivia, insect stories and activities, and live insect encounters in the museum’s courtyard and Exploration Station. Special guests will be on hand to display and answer questions about popular captive bugs. Entomology students from the University of California, Riverside will show a variety of living arthropods that visitors can touch. Students will share their wealth of knowledge about all sorts of insects and other bugs. County of San Bernardino Public Health Dept. will talk about controlling mosquitos and other household pests. Informational flyers and exhibits demonstrate the variety of bugs that might be bugging you—and offer ideas for getting rid of them or preventing them in the first place. Master Gardeners will be here to advocate for beneficial insects in the garden and to talk about environmentally friendly ways to keep the less-friendly bugs at bay. Volunteers will be on hand to talk about visitors’ favorite Exploration Station critters—roaches, spiders, centipedes, and more. Bugs not your favorite? There’s always Dutch the rabbit and plenty of mice around. For even more excitement, visitors can root for their favorite racer in the perennial cockroach races, this year with new obstacle-course tracks. Story corner and an art-and-poetry writing booth will provide an opportunity to express creativity in a multi-legged way. For the more science-minded, or just very curious, a variety of microscopes will offer views into the tiny world of insect mandibles, spider fangs, pedipalps, shells, wings and other minute body parts. And for those in a crafty mood, there will be many opportunities on hand to express their buggy selves. At the Museum Store visitors can buy and decorate SBCM Insectival canvas bags to announce their support for the Museum, to carry home their craft creations, and to use for future shopping trips. The Museum Store also contains a wide variety of insect-related merchandise, from the ever-popular icky rubber bugs to insect books, guides, magnifiers, toys, ant and butterfly farms, bug jars and boxes, collecting tools, and even butterfly jewelry. Grilled sausages, chips, nachos, popcorn, drinks, candy and more will be available so museum guests can come early and plan to stay all day.