Museum educator David Hunt becomes acquainted with a tarantula at last year’s Bug Maine-ia. The event – and the tarantula – return to the Maine State Museum on Wednesday, September 10.

Maine’s largest natural science education event will create a buzz at the Maine State Museum in Augusta on Wednesday, September 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., when twenty-five exhibitors infest the premises with a variety of bug-related displays and activities. Admission to the museum for this fun-for-all-ages event will be free of charge all day.

Bug Maine-ia exhibitors come from across the state and include Tony Sohns and his Bug Zoo, the Maine Entomological Society, the Maine State Beekeepers Association, the University of Maine, Maine Department of Agriculture, Maine Forest Service, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine State Museum, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Hudson Museum, Butterfly and Insect Museum, Maine Agriculture in the Classroom, and Chewonki’s Bug Mobile, as well as a master Maine fishing guide, artists, and entomologists.

“We look forward to Bug Maine-ia all year,” said Chief Museum Educator Joanna Torow. “It is truly a wonderful opportunity to get an up-close look at the creepy, crawly world of insects and learn about the wide-ranging impact they have on our lives.”

The Maine State Museum is located at 230 State Street in Augusta, next to the Maine State House. For more information, call (207) 287-2301. Teachers or parents bringing groups of students are asked to make reservations by completing a Bug Maine-ia and Maine Earth Science Day reservation form at www.mainestatemuseum.org/learn.