The MSU Bug House buzzed Wednesday, and it wasn't just the bees.
Kids shuffled from cage to cage, eyes glued on the critters inside. A little girl squealed as she reached down to touch a Madagascar hissing cockroach.
The Bug House, located in room 147 of the Natural Science Building, opened its doors for a public viewing at 10 a.m. with the event lasting until 2 p.m. The Bug House generally has 50-100 people at each open house, said Barb Stinnett, the outreach coordinator for the Department of Entomology.
Celebrating its 10th year in January, the MSU Bug House is the first college bug house in the nation, Stinnett said. It started as a way to interest young people in science, particularly in the world of bugs, she said.
"Bugs are much easier to take care of. You don't have to walk them and the kids love them, they just love them," Stinnett said.
Primary care means giving the bugs water each day, she said. They are fed dry dog food because it doesn't rot and their meals are supplemented with lettuce and carrots. The predators - tarantulas and scorpions - are given crickets once a week.
Walking sticks are probably the most popular insect at the bug house, Stinnett said, adding that they're her favorite bug.
"They're easy to handle, they don't hurt you and they're cute," she said.
It's impossible to say how many insects are in the bug house, but Gary Parsons, the collection manager in the department, said there are as many as 5,000.
There are bugs from every order, a term used to classify insects with similar characteristics, in the pinned displays and about 10 different types of live specimens, Stinnett said.
In addition to the public bug house, Parsons works with about 1.5 million insects in the Albert J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection.
"I like beetles myself, especially the ones with big horns. It's sort of like the hunter wanting animals with the biggest horns," he said.
Families filtered in and out between the two rooms with pinned displays of various winged insects and live specimens including giant millipedes, beetles and grasshoppers. A group stood in awe in front of the indoor beehive as Parsons answered questions about the insects.
A rainbow of pinned butterflies shimmered behind the display case, and East Lansing resident Paul Carney said butterflies are his favorite insect.
"I like butterflies because they have letters and numbers on them," the 6-year-old said.
Others laughed until they saw a butterfly alphabet poster hanging above one of the cases, proving Carney right. The poster depicted butterflies with wing patterns that closely resembled letters and numbers.
After shrugging and giggling that she couldn't name her favorite insect, Canton resident Emily Sterling agreed she liked butterflies best, but in the MSU Bug House she preferred the tarantula. The 6-year-old celebrated her birthday with a bug-themed party and the bug house visit served as an early gift.
The children aren't the only people excited for the open house, however. The staff brings a lot of excitement, as well.
"It's that kind of enthusiasm that excites kids, too," Stinnett said.
