They creep . . . they crawl . . . they fly . . . many of them bite or sting. At Kansas State University´s Insect Zoo, they´re also the stars of the show. Many U.S. universities have collections of insects that travel to schools for presentations. But, Kiffnie Holt, K-State zoo coordinator, isn´t aware of any other permanent exhibits.

The zoo is housed in the old dairy barn on the northwest corner of the K-State campus, down the street from Throckmorton Hall. Visitors can view a wide variety of insects, arachnids and even some aquatic  life there. The exhibits include large framed collections of native insects and the requisite "butterfly collection." There´s even a live honeybee colony, encased in plexiglass.
   
But, the centerpiece of the zoo is a leafcutter ant colony, housed in part of a dividing wall that bisects the museum floor. Toward the front of that wall is a terrarium, regularly stocked with tree branches, debris and small pieces of fruit.  A long stretch of clear tubing connects the ants´ two living areas.  Holt believes the display is easily the zoo´s most popular.

The zoo is open noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and it charges a small admission fee.

"On many of the days that people might expect us to be closed, we´re actually open," she said. "You can find out the holidays when we´re open to visitors by checking our Web site."
   
That site, which include "fun links," on-site photos and information on scheduling guided tours, is at http://www.ksu.edu/butterfly.

Educational Materials Website - http://www.cipm.info/entfnd/ 

The Entomological Foundation (http://www.entfdn.org) of the Entomological Society of America has developed a web site that contains learning activities designed to help children in grades 3 and 4 understand primary areas of entomology relating to the characteristics of organisms, life cycles, and the relationship of organisms to their environment. Each section contains a set of activities and objectives with an assessment (in game format) of what the user learned from the activites. Each section also contains a section for educators, which lists the objectives and the national science standard and entomology benchmark addressed by each activity.