How to Create a Bug Zoo

Last updated: October 18, 2022, at 5:39 p.m. PT

Originally published: April 27, 2020, at 2:40 p.m. PT

Bottles in the dirt

A homemade bug zoo is a great way to observe and learn about the small creatures that live around us! 

Supplies Needed

  • Clear Containers (empty 2L bottles with the bottoms cut off, glass gars, plastic cups)
  • Food Scraps
  • Grass or Leaves 
A shovel resting in a garden bed

Clear a spot for your containers. A garden bed is a great spot. 

Food scraps resting on the garden dirt

Place food scraps on the cleared spot. Try a piece of moldy cauliflower, half a mushy orange, potato peels, the butt of an onion, or a banana peel.

Moldy food with grass coverings over it

Cover your scraps with grass clippings or leaves.

Clear bottles over scraps

Cover your scraps with your clear container. Leave undisturbed for a few hours, and up to a few days.

Clear bottles over the grass clippings and rotten food

Observe the bugs you collected in your zoo, write down your observations to share with friends, family, or in Camp Orkila’s Zoom debrief.

Category: Camp Activity
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