Insects are featured at museum's annual Bug Day

It didn't bug John John McNair one bit that he didn't have a typical midday snack Saturday.

He was quite satisfied as he munched on some worms and crickets until the pest pizza was ready.

"They were good," the 13-year-old said. "When you ate the worms, they burst in your mouth."

McNair was among hundreds of kids and adults who sampled insects offered at the annual Bug Day at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon.

Jamie Tiernan, the museum's curator of living animals, said this is the fifth year for the event, which educates people about insects and serves the bugs as fare.

"We try to encourage people to come out and confront their fears about creepy, crawling insects," she said.

Tiernan said the menu included cream of cricket soup, cricket torte, pest-O and chirpy chex mix, to name a few. She said all of the dishes they served in the "Fear Factor Feast" were safe for eating and prepared with farm-raised insects.

In addition to eating bugs, visitors could watch a roach race; play a game of Cootie Bugs or Insect Inquest; play in the Discovery House; watch the Creepy Crawly Show; or experience the Planetarium and enter a drawing for a two-year lease on a Volkswagen Beetle.

Also, Dr. Jeff Burne of the Macon State College natural sciences and mathematics department, displayed his insect collection, which he started about 30 years ago. Burne said he has critters not only from America but also from Costa Rica and Mexico.

Burne said the first year the museum held Bug Day he asked if he could display his collection of bugs. He said he has participated every year since.

"It's just so much fun to come here and answer so many questions from kids," said Burne, who has an insect he discovered named after him. "And this year the theme is beetles, so I wasn't going to miss that."

Tiernan said crowds of about 500 people have attended the annual event, making it one of the museum's biggest family functions of the year.

The Fanning family was one of several at the museum Saturday enjoying the sights and sounds of Bug Day. Deanna Fanning and her son, Alec, 8, said they learned about what kinds of bugs Middle Georgia has to offer.

"It's neat," said Alec, who has his own collection of beetles, butterflies and moths. "It's lots of bugs. It's interesting."

At first, the Fannings were sceptical about eating insects, but they later decided to chow down on a chocolate-covered treat.

"The cricket brownie had a crunchy taste to it," Deanna Fanning said. "It kind of gives you chills."

Alec said the brownie was crunchy and "has a skin taste."

Adam Tillman, 21, said he made the drive up from Warner Robins to learn about insects and try out some of the exotic dishes. He said except for the insect soup, the dishes were OK.

"It's not bad," he said. "(Insects) don't really have a taste."

By Eddie R. Cole

Telegraph Staff Writer