Bug's World Insect Fair

Today I was at Bug's World, an all-about-insects fair sponsored by the Entomological Society of America at their 2018 conference held in Annapolis, Maryland. Hundreds of kids of all ages streamed through the event learning about the bugs in our backyards and how to create pollinator-friendly gardens. Visitors got an up-close look at tarantulas and other insects, saw a larger-than-life statue of a mosquito and learned how to make their gardens more bug-friendly and their homes less-so. My table celebrated honeybees and products of the beehive. ​​

To tell the story of life inside a hive I brought a frame filled with honey held safely within a windowed display case so visitors could see what honey looks like when it is still in the honey comb. Few people had ever seen a frame full of honey before and asked lots of questions about it. I also brought a nucleus (aka five-frame) hive so that visitors could see what the inside of a hive looks. It was a great opportunity for visitors to not only see but also smell a beehive. Many people remarked that the inside of a hive smells like honey and beeswax!