Catch the Buzz: Bug World is open again, with a new look and some new residents!

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications
Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo

Two brilliantly colored flamboyant flower beetles in Bug World. 

After being closed for several months, Woodland Park Zoo's popular Bug World building has reopened with upgrades and the reintroduction of arthropods—the largest group of invertebrates. Admission to Bug World is included with general zoo admission.

A garden fruit chafer insect.

From the temperate forest and desert to the savanna and tropics, Bug World unleashes the world of 16 species of arthropods. Discover the Mexican red-knee tarantula, western horse lubber, two-spotted assassin bug, Peruvian fire walking stick, flamboyant flower beetle, fierce waterbug, emperor scorpion and many more, and develop a new appreciation for these animals.

A new kind of lighting in this revamped space more closely replicates what all the species in Bug World would experience in their natural habitats—all the better for their care!

One of the new features installed in Bug World is Kessil LED lighting. The Nobel prize-winning technology groups LED chips together in a tight formation to produce a stronger beam of ultraviolet light. The lights provide levels of UVA rays that are closer to what animals experience in their natural habitats. The zoo is excited to incorporate this technology into Bug World and observe how the bugs respond.

A Peruvian fire walking stick insect has a newly revamped home in Bug World.

Bugs outnumber people 1.4 billion to one and are critical to our survival. They play important roles in the ecosystems we share by pollinating plants, adding nutrients to the soil, balancing bug populations and more. With threats such as climate change and habitat loss impacting bug populations, bugs need our help.

Two garden fruit chafer insects.

Insects are the planet's most efficient decomposers, breaking down everything from carcasses to dung to fallen logs—they’re nature’s recyclers! They control weeds, kill crop pests, and are powerful pollinators when it comes to crops and other flowering plants.

A two-spotted assassin bug insect.

There are four groups of arthropods that are commonly referred to as "bugs." They are:

• Arachnids: spiders, scorpions, mites and ticks
• Insects: include bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies, moths
• Crustaceans: include crab, shrimp, lobsters, woodlice, barnacles
• Myriapods: millipedes, centipedes

A Bug's Eye View features large animatronic insects representing species from around the world.

After experiencing Bug World, head over to A Bug’s Eye View* for face-to-face encounters with 14 massive animatronic insects representing species from all over the world. The temporary experience is open through Labor Day. Visit www.zoo.org/bugseyeview for more info.

*Extra fee in addition to zoo admission.