Build a Bug Box

Oct 9, 2020

Ladybugs, crickets and grasshoppers, oh my! Bugs are everywhere, busy doing their buggy business. If only you could take a closer look at a bug! You could count legs, check out whether it has wings or look for its mouth. What else might you see

Materials

Clear container you can cover securely (mason jar, clear plastic container)
A cover that lets in air (such as a piece of screen or another material to which you can add tiny holes)
Thumb tack (for punching holes, if needed)
Natural materials (leaves, sticks, bark, stones, loose soil or sand)
Spray bottle with water
A bug! (examples of appropriate bugs include ladybugs, daddy long legs, crickets, grasshoppers, woolly bears and cicadas)
Magnifier (optional)

Let's Make a Bug Box!

Small, but mighty, bugs have many important jobs in nature. You can turn a small container into a temporary home where you can observe a bug you find and learn more about what it does.

Find and clean a clear container. This will be your temporary bug home.

Add some natural materials to the bug box to make it feel more like a bug's natural habitat. A jar or a bottle can be laid on its side to offer more space for the bug to crawl around.

Gently mist the inside of your bug box. Bugs need water, too!

Find and gently catch a bug and put it in your bug to pick up.

Securely cover your bug box, but make sure air can enter. For example, you can cover your bug box with wax paper that you have poked small holes into.

Observe your bug! Does it crawl around, fly or hide? How many legs can you count? Does it have wings? If you have a magnifier, use it to look closely at the bug's head. Do you see its eyes? Its mouth?

When you are finished observing your bug, return it to the same spot in which you found it.

Tips for Success

You can catch a bug with your hands or by placing a cup over it and sliding a stiff piece of paper or cardboard between the cup and the ground.

Be gentle! Like all living things, bugs should be handled with care.

Good places to look for bugs include under and between rocks, on plants, under leaves or in damp places. Use your ears, too, when you are hunting for a bug!

A Closer Look at Bugs

An insect has antennae, six legs and usually one to two pairs of wings. Does your bug have legs? Count them! Did you find an insect or another kind of bug?