July 13, 2007

Getting Ready for the Bug Bash

The past two days have been filled with excitement. As I told you in my earlier entry we are getting prepared for the upcoming Chicago Bug Bash festivities at the Museum of Science and Industry on July 14.Yesterday we were in charge of building the habitats for the millipedes. Millipedes are very harmless except for a liquid that they excrete when they are in danger that can cause irritation if put into ones eyes or mouth.

There are a few essential things which millipedes need inside their habitats. 1. The habitat must be moist. 2. Bedding is needed for them to crawl around and escape the light when need be. 3. The holding area has to be well ventilated and be longer than the longest millipede in there. 4. Finally, they eat fruits and veggies such as cucumbers, tomatoes, bananas, and lettuce.

In addition to the millipedes' habitats I set up the habitats for the Madagascar cockroaches. Like the millipedes the cockroaches need adequate bedding and moisture. Because they don't like the sunlight I placed objects into the tank so that they can hide under. These objects might be an old clay pot or some used toilet paper rolls. For food, the roaches enjoy a few pieces of dry cat or dog food.

We packed up all the boxes for the Bash. We have to be at the museum on Saturday at 8 a.m. to set-up.

We also planted some plants into our demonstration garden beds at the AG School that were planted in the rain garden at the Taste of Chicago.

Posted by Ron Wolford at 12:56 AM |