(TUSCALOOSA, AL)-- Different cultures eat them. They’re great recyclers, but they make many of us scream.
The University of Alabama’s Museum of Natural History is celebrating insects at the Bama Bug Fest.
“This planet would be just fine without us, arguably much better, but it would be a completely different situation without insects,” said John Abbott, director of research and collections at UA’s Museum of Natural History. “We would not, as a species, be able to survive life without insects. We want to give people a great appreciation for this diverse group and help them learn about them.”
Visitors will get the chance to pet, spit and eat different bugs like crickets and meal worms.
Some of the world’s largest cockroaches also will compete in tractor pull races.
Abbott said that more people are interested in bugs than are scared of them.
“Most people have an innate curiosity of bugs and insects even if there is a little bit of fear mixed in with that curiosity,” Abbott said. “That curiosity often times overtakes when they have the opportunity to learn about them.”
The first Bama Bug Fest is Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. It is a free event held at the Warner Transportation Museum in Tuscaloosa.