It’s Bug Season

Overcome your fears, and help your kids do the same

By Christie Collins

Do you suffer from a mild to severe cases of entomophobia or arachnophobia? That is, the fear of insects or spiders, respectively. No, this is not an ad for treatment, but then again, maybe we can work through some of those fears together? 

So why would it matter if you were afraid of bugs? Well, as small and insignificant as they may seem, this group of wildlife is vital to our planet, our ecosystems, and even our health. Does that sound overly dramatic? It’s not. I’m sure you’ve all heard that insects pollinate three-quarters of the world’s food crops. If insects disappear, humans likely won’t be far behind.

Part of my job—correction, my passion and life’s work—is educating others about the value of invertebrates. Yes, that includes creepy, crawly spiders. I often start with kids because they’re usually more open-minded. Many haven’t learned yet to see bugs as scary, gross, or disturbers of peace.

As adults, we know we project our fears onto our children. Whether we do this knowingly or not, we want to protect our kids from harm. However, sometimes the fear we project is more harmful than the actual thing itself. 

My story starts like many of you. I grew up being terrified of spiders. It didn’t matter the size, small to large they were all the same, too many legs and too many eyes for my liking. I would run from a room shrieking, “Kill it, kill it!” So, I get it.

But things changed when I started working at my first nature center where I was forced to overcome my fears. One day, I was teaching a school group of about 40 kids where the presentation ended with looking at and meeting a live animal. I was tasked with showing our tarantula. Yikes! I knew I had to do it sometime, so I had to face my fears head on.

As the program wrapped up and 40 kids formed a single file line to see the very large and hairy spider, I began to sweat. A lot. I opened and reached into the critter keeper that the spider was in and nudged one of its back legs to get my hand underneath it. Slowly the spider climbed onto my hand. I did it! Victory! Except now, I had to stand holding the spider as students walked by, excitedly observing the spider with fascination.

Then it happened. The one student who wanted to test the boundaries approached me and the tarantula. He leaned in closer to get a better look, then blew on the spider, hard. I flinched and so did the spider. I held my composure and stayed calm, reminding the young student not to do anything like that as it startles the spider, and we want it to know it can trust us.

In the end, nothing happened. The spider was fine. I was fine, other than being extremely sweaty. I lived to tell the tale.

Now, am I telling you to run out and hold the nearest spider you find? Absolutely not. You don’t need to go full spider whisperer. But there are resources to help you learn about invertebrates or to introduce your child to them in a way that’s safe and manageable, even from a distance.

Bug Friendly Resources for the Bug Curious and Bug Cautious

• All Bugs Go to Kevin: This is one of my favorite social media pages. It’s available on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. You can post photos to get an ID or just read some cool posts that make bugs a little more, dare I say, loveable.
• BugGuide.net: This is one of many citizen science sites where anyone can share their photos for ID purposes. You can also search for bugs you want to know more about.
• iNaturalist: Another citizen science site as well as a free downloadable app. You can upload your photos, get an ID, and contribute to worldwide data.
• Xerces Society (xerces.org): This group has great resources for adults, families, and kids to learn more about pollinators and how to help them in your own neighborhood.
• Santa Fe Botanical Garden: The garden offers many programs and a camp during the year to learn more about the importance of insects and spiders. Check our event calendar often.

Family Friendly Bug Activities to Ignite Curiosity and Confidence

Do you want some easy, at-home activities? Here are a few fun and fear-free ways to get started with your bugsploration.

• Bug Bingo: Create bingo cards using images from online. Make cards of the common insects and spiders seen around your yard or park, like ants, butterflies, bees, roly-polies. No touching required, just observing. We also have scavengers hunt cards at the Botanical Garden.
• Build a Bug House: Using recycled materials, this is an easy project and a great way to observe the daily life of your tiny neighbors.
• Bug Exploration Kit: Put together your own kit for finding and observing. All you need is a small magnifying glass, a notebook or journal, and a bug jar (make sure it has small air holes). Once you’ve made your observations and finished your drawings, let your new friend go and on their way back to their home. Don’t forget to add your photos to iNaturalist.

Storytime with Six or Eight-Legged Friends

How about some fun stories to learn more about the small wildlife:

• Diary of a Spider by Soreen Cronin
• Are you a Bee? by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries
• Bug Hotel by Libby Walden
• Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi

Bugs are more than just insignificant specks scrambling across the sidewalk. They are critical animals in the food web and their survival is linked to ours. You don’t have to love them; you don’t even have to touch them. But we can learn to appreciate the job they do and respect their role in nature, whether by providing pollinator friendly plants, rescuing a spider from the bathtub, or simply choosing curiosity over fear.

Christie Collins is the director of education and interpretation at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, vice chair of Global Entomology Coalition, and a member of American Arachnological Society. She has been an environmental educator for more than 15 years.