Crowd gathers at nature center to learn about insects

About 140 visitors to the Cape Girardeau Conservation Campus Nature Center's recent "Insect Mania" learned about seven Missouri insects that sting and bite at an event that focused on insect pests. They were the honey bee, velvet ant, mosquito, blister beetle, horsefly, water bug and ichneumon wasp.

Insect-related games, beeswax candle making and honey tasting were available. A pageant was held in the auditorium where the audience watched insects on stage accompanied by music. After the pageant, visitors met their favorite insects during an autograph session with the cast.