Programs and Events

You are welcome to visit the Bug Zoo Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Walk-in visits are self-guided. Live insects are not available for handling during walk-in visits, but you can explore displays, activities and information throughout the space.

Best for: families, individuals, small groups and casual visitors
Cost: Free
Schedule needed: No

During the summer and on select Saturdays, the Bug Zoo offers free public open houses. Visitors can meet and handle live insects, ask questions and watch or help with insect feeding.

Watch our website and social media for special events, including:

• Summer Open Houses
• Insect Night Walk in August
• Pumpkins and Pillbugs in October

Best for: families, community members and anyone curious about insects
Cost: Free
Schedule needed: No, unless noted for a specific event

We offer on-site, off-site and virtual programs for schools. Programs are hands-on, adaptable to a variety of spaces and customizable to your curriculum needs.

We recommend an on-site visit to the Bug Zoo when possible. During a visit, students can meet more than 40 different arthropods and explore microscope stations and displays.

Use the school brochure to find fee information and other CFAES Wooster campus activities that can help round out your visit.

Best for: K–12 classes and youth education groups
Program options: On-site, off-site and virtual
Helpful links: Programs and fees | Standards guide
Email utbz@osu.edu for our school brochure

Homeschool groups can customize existing school programs to fit a mix of grade levels and learning needs.

For Insect Investigations, we recommend that younger students spend that portion of the visit at Secrest Arboretum’s Buckeye Forest playground, then rejoin the group for the hands-on Bug Zoo tour.

Fee information is available in the school brochure.

Best for: homeschool families, co-ops and mixed-age groups
Helpful links: Programs and fees | Standards guide

A Bug Zoo tour can help scouts work toward insect badge requirements, including:

• Boy Scouts Insect Merit Badge (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 5a, 5b1, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8b, 9a)
• Girl Scout Brownie Bugs Badge (1, 3, 4, 5)
• American Heritage Girls insect badge

Contact us to discuss which badge requirements you would like to focus on during your tour.

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $50
Best for: scout troops and youth groups

We offer Discovery Tours for groups of up to 30 people, including garden clubs, civic groups, college classes and other adult learners.

Discovery Tours include opportunities to touch or hold live insects, ask questions and explore the Bug Zoo. We also offer presentations on a variety of entomology topics.

Best for: garden clubs, civic groups, college classes, senior groups and community organizations
Group size: Up to 30 people

Private tours can be scheduled for birthday parties, special occasions or just because you have a bug-loving friend or family member.

Each tour includes time to meet and handle insects, behind-the-scenes access and the chance to help with feeding and care.

Length: 1 hour
Group size: Up to 10 people
Cost: $50
Availability: Can be scheduled during non-business hours

Our instructors can join your class or group for a virtual Bug Zoo visit. We’ll showcase live insects, talk about the work of entomologists and answer questions about insects, arthropods and entomology careers.

Best for: classrooms, distance learners and groups that cannot visit Wooster
Helpful link: Program guide