The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County will host the 22nd Annual Insect Festival on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mercer Educational Gardens, 431A Federal City Road in Hopewell Township.
The free, rain-or-shine festival will celebrate the insects and other tiny creatures that play essential roles in terrestrial ecosystems, with hands-on activities designed for children and adults. On-site parking will be available.
Visitors can participate in the festival’s popular scavenger hunt, explore “Bugs in Water,” ask questions of Rutgers Master Gardeners and learn about native bees, composting, carnivorous plants, ticks and native plants. Other activities include crafts, storytime and an insect hunt featuring catch-and-release.
Master Gardeners dressed as human-sized insects and bugs will circulate throughout the festival to help explain the roles different species play in the ecosystem.
The festival will also offer information about mosquito control, including free mosquito dunks and instructions for creating a “mosquito bucket” at home to help control mosquito growth without harming other insects.
Visitors are invited to explore the demonstration gardens at Mercer Educational Gardens and learn about the relationships between insects and plants. Displays will also examine composting and the role insects play in decomposing organic material and returning nutrients to the soil.
“Community programming like the Annual Insect Festival simultaneously creates a wonderful opportunity for some family fun, while also giving attendees from Mercer County and the surrounding area, a great chance for a fantastic educational opportunity,” Mercer County Executive Dan Benson said. “This is one of many ways our government can directly serve constituents.”
Organizations invited to participate include the Tulpehaking Nature Center, The Watershed Institute, Isles, Friends of Abbott Marshlands, Native Plant Society of New Jersey, Mercer County Mosquito Control Commission, Phillip Alampi Beneficial Insect Rearing Laboratory, Rutgers Residential Insects Lab and Rutgers Center for Vector Biology. A New Jersey beekeeper is also expected to participate, along with Beyond the Bug, which is new to the festival this year and will feature live insects.
The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County is a volunteer educational outreach program of Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
If you go
The 22nd Annual Insect Festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mercer Educational Gardens, 431A Federal City Road, Hopewell Township. The event will be held rain or shine. Admission and on-site parking are free.
