victoria-bug-zoo

Live Bugs for Sale!

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 23:48:52 GMT

We sell a variety of live arthropods, including millipedes, tarantulas, isopods and beetles. We have a great range of critters for the beginning collector to the more experienced! If there is something specific you want send us an email and we will try and source it for you. We do not ship this time of year. If you are looking for mantises head back to the home page to sign up for our ootheca mailing list!

Halloween Event 2025

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 22:07:23 GMT

Halloween Market and Spooky Bug Time!

The annual market and late night spooky bug talks are back! There will be over a dozen local artists selling fun, spooky and beautiful handmade goodies for all to enjoy. Throughout the day we will have fun spooky bug talks, as the day goes on the bug talks will get spookier and spookier with the most scary ones saved for after 4pm. There will also be arachnid feedings at 5pm which are always super fun and exciting to see! Admission to the zoo is going to be our regular rate and good for all day, the market is free.

New Safety Regulations

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 06:54:34 GMT

Masking Changes

We have decided that for the summer we will only be enforcing masking on Wednesdays between 10am and 11am. During this time everyone 5 years and older will be required to wear a mask, which we provide for free with admission. As this is only one day a week and for only one hour there will be no exceptions to this rule. We appreciate your understanding for our desire to give those in the community who are immunocompromised a safe time to come to the zoo.

Sincerely,

Management

SFS x VBZ November Activity

karlee@victoriabugzoo.ca (Karlee Friesen) — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 20:55:21 GMT

Seedlings Forest School and Victoria Bug Zoo Collab

Download the activity using the button below.

SFS X VBZ October Activity

karlee@victoriabugzoo.ca (Karlee Friesen) — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 22:25:34 GMT

SFS x VBZ September Activity

karlee@victoriabugzoo.ca (Karlee Friesen) — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 20:21:15 GMT

My Nature Workbook

In our first collaborative post with Seedlings Forest School, we offer you an exciting workbook to start with your littles! To download and print all 36 pages of this workbook, please click the link underneath the preview below.

Bug Kits

karlee@victoriabugzoo.ca (Karlee Friesen) — Tue, 16 May 2023 19:49:06 GMT

Choose which kit works best for your classroom!

27-Piece Arthropod Kit: $75.00 per week

This kit showcases the wide variety of the arthropod diversity found in the world as well as the two major life cycles found in insects. It includes detailed information sheets on each species in the kit. This kit is fantastic as a learning tool for ecological roles, diversity, evolution, ecological niches, adaptations, herbivores/carnivores/omnivores/detritivores, form and function … the list goes on and on! If you are looking for extra ideas on how to incorporate insects and arachnids as a learning tool, please do not hesitate to reach out to us for help.

Smaller kits: $25.00 per week each or $35.00 per week for both

We have two smaller kits: What is an Insect? and What is an Arthropod? Both of these kits exemplify the diversity of insects and arthropods, respectively. Fantastic for discussions of form and function, evolution, physical adaptations, and ecological roles. They would also work well as a basis for making phylogenetic trees. Each kit comes with information sheets and activity sheets to help students learn.

10-Piece Insect Orders Kit: $40.00 per week

This kit goes into detail on 10 of the 29 insect orders with diverse representations. There is also information included about all of the orders for a comprehensive understanding.

Smaller kit add-ons: $10.00 each per week

These work best when combined as an add-on to the 27-piece kit or one of the other multi-piece kits, but they can also be rented with other kit add-ons. All come with educational material to enhance the concepts demonstrated.

Fly life cycle: A basic fly life cycle from egg to adult fly.

Insect pupae: A description on the different types of pupae found in insects. Focuses on reasons why different insects would have different pupal types.

Insect legs: A description of the various form and functions of insect legs and the insects that possess them.

Millipede versus centipede: A comparison of the two groups of Myriapods (many-legged arthropods) including life history, body form and function, and major differences between the groups.

Moth versus butterfly: The two groups within Lepidoptera (scaly-winged insects) compared and contrasted with each other.

Larger kit add-ons: $15.00 each per week

These work best when combined as an add-on with the 27-piece kit or one of the smaller kits, but they can also be rented with other kit add-ons.

Cabbage worm life cycle: Invasive species implications, complete metamorphosis.

Butterfly life cycle: One of the most common life cycles people are familiar with, an example of complete metamorphosis.

Honeybee life cycle: Complete metamorphosis and a look into the life of an important pollinator.

Parts of a Spade Beetle: Disassembled large spade beetle with labels and descriptions of the parts of an insect.

Live metamorphosis in action add-on: $15 per class

As a way to engage students and drive home their understanding of metamorphosis, we are offering classroom sets of mealworms as an add-on! Included are enough small mealworms for every student in the class with extras, plus a care sheet for Tenebrio molitor (darkling beetles). We are able to supply deli cups for all of the students at an extra charge of $1.00 each, but we ask you to consider getting students to bring in their own container (yogurt containers work just great!) to reduce unnecessary waste. Each student will have their own mealworm to feed and care for. Each worm will eventually pupate and develop into an adult beetle!

Please give us a few weeks notice so that we can guarantee that the kit you need will be available. Please email bugs@victoriabugzoo.ca

DIY Rainbow Stag Beetle

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:21:54 GMT

The Rainbow Stag Beetle is one of the many cool critters you can go see at The Victoria Bug Zoo. Now you can have one at home too! This is a fun DIY for kids to do with parents or a babysitter! Don’t have a babysitter? Find one at Babysits.ca!

Cardboard is a fun and versatile material that we all tend to throw in the recycling bin! Why not use it to create something fun and unique instead? Grab some cardboard, paint, and get crafting!

To get started, grab some cardboard! An old shoe box or delivery package will be more than enough. You will also need a pencil, scissors, some paint and a paintbrush.

With a pencil you can sketch out the different parts of the Rainbow Stag Beetle onto the cardboard. A beetle is a type of insect, which means it has a head, a thorax, an abdomen, and six legs. The male Rainbow Stag Beetle also has a big jaw on top of its head! Take a look at how we made our beetle, and start cutting your pieces!

Now that you have all your pieces, you will need to cut some slits into the main body! This is how you will connect the pieces later on, it should look something like this…

Here comes the fun part! Bring out the markers, paint, glitter, whatever you like! The Rainbow Stag Beetle gets the name from its unique look, so be creative! Once the paint is dry you can puzzle your beetle together.

We would love to see your finished Rainbow Stag Beetle! Take a picture and tag @babysits and @victoriabugzoo on Instagram! Check out our other DIY’s for more great ideas for kids !

DIY Chocolate and Peanutbutter Redback Spider Treats

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:15:04 GMT

We’ve created the perfect sweet-treat for Halloween! Babysits and the Victoria Bug Zoo have teamed up to create these fun Redback Spider snacks. Trust us, these chocolatey and peanut buttery creatures will not disappoint you or your kids. They aren’t just delicious, they are super quick and easy to make! Children can make these together with their parents or babysitter, and the recipe does not require an oven so older kids can even make it themselves! All you need are these 5 ingredients:

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter
Cereal
Dark Chocolate
Pretzel sticks
Red candy or sprinkles

Step 1

Start by mixing your cereal and peanut butter together! We recommend using rice krispies, Special K, or cornflakes because these cereals are not too sweet. Once it’s mixed, set it aside in the fridge.

Step 2

While the peanut butter and cereal mixture hangs out in the fridge, melt your chocolate! Heat the chocolate in the microwave in 15 second increments. We chose dark chocolate to make it look more like a Redback Spider. You can also use white or milk chocolate if you prefer!

Step 3

Using a tablespoon, make balls with the cold peanut butter mixture. Carefully dip them in the melted chocolate, it helps to use a spoon!

Step 4

To make it look like a Redback Spider, not just any spider, add a red candy or sprinkle on top of the chocolate ball! You can also dip the pretzels in chocolate for the legs, remember spiders have 8 legs not 6!

Step 5

Last step! Leave your yummy creations in the fridge or freezer until the chocolate hardens. This is definitely the hardest step!

All done! And all it took was 5 simple ingredients and 5 easy steps. We hope you and your kids make these and enjoy them as much as we did! For more kid-friendly recipes click here !

DIY Firefly Lanterns

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:09:14 GMT

The days are getting darker and colder, as winter approaches. Babysits and The Victoria Bug Zoo have just the thing to brighten up your dark winter nights. We will teach you how to make a firefly using an old toilet paper roll! The most common species of firefly in North America is the ‘common eastern firefly’, which also goes by the name ‘big dipper firefly’. This firefly is not actually a fly, but a type of beetle! Keep reading to learn how to make your own firefly lantern!

Materials

Toilet paper roll
Colored paper
Paint
Scissors
Googly eyes
Antenna

Instructions

Step 1: Cut out a semi-circle at the bottom of your toilet paper roll.

Step 2: Paint the roll black or dark brown.

Step 3: Add a pair of eyes! You can also add red details with paint or paper.

Step 4: Use construction paper to cut out some wings, and glue them to your roll.

Step 5: Put white or yellow printer inside the toilet roll so it covers the hole you made at the start. Add some black antennae using pipe cleaners as a finishing touch!

Your firefly lantern is all done! All that’s left to do now is to turn off the lights and place an electrical tea light inside (Do not use real fire!). Take a picture of your finished creations, and tag us on Instagram @babysits and @victoriabugzoo ! Did you enjoy this DIY? Click here for more tutorials!

DIY Ladybird Valentine’s Day Card

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:01:22 GMT

Valentine’s day is just around the corner! At the Victoria Bug Zoo and at Babysits we want to help you spread the love, even in times of social distancing. Making a handmade card is the perfect way to show your loved one that you care about them. Your child can send this adorable card to their grandparents, best friend, babysitter, favorite teacher, or any other special person that comes to mind.

The Ladybird is an insect, more specifically, a type of beetle! The Ladybird is known for its red elytra with black spots. An elytron is a hardened forewing which covers the wing that is hidden underneath. For this DIY we made black hearts instead of spots in order to fit the theme of Valentine’s day even more!

Materials:

Red, black, and white paper
A black marker
A pair of scissors
Glue
A stapler

Let’s get started!

Step 1: On a black piece of paper, cut out a big circle with a small semi circle on top. This will be the Ladybird’s body and head.

Step 2: On a red piece of paper, cut out a circle that is slightly bigger than the one you made for the Ladybird’s body. Then cut this red circle in half to create the Ladybird’s elytron.

Step 3: With a black marker, draw black spots (or hearts) onto the red semi circle.

Step 4: On a white piece of paper, cut out another circle. This time, make sure the circle is slightly smaller than the ladybird’s body. You can use this white paper to draw something or write a cute message.

Step 5: The last step is to put everything together! You can glue the white circle on to the body. The best way to attach the elytra is to use a paper fastener so that you can open and close the wings to see the message inside. Stapling or gluing will also do the trick as long as you leave them a bit open, check out how we did it in the picture!

It’s as easy as that! We hope you enjoyed making this Ladybird, for more fun DIYs and activities for children click here ! We’re always curious to see your creations, so don’t forget to tag us @babysits and @victoriabugzoo on Instagram or Facebook! Happy Valentine’s Day!

DIY Insect Coloring Book

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:01:21 GMT

Coloring books aren’t just for kids! Babysits and the Victoria Bug Zoo have the perfect coloring book for insect lovers of all ages. The coloring book consists of 6 different cool-looking black and white insects. Take a look at the picture below for a sneak peak! You can use colored pencils, markers, crayons, paint or whatever you like to color them in! Click here to download and print the coloring book for yourself or another insect fan you know!

For more fun activities check out the Babysits blog . Babysits is an online platform that helps connect parents with babysitters. Are you a parent looking for a sitter? Or a babysitter looking for a job? Click here to sign up!

DIY Insect Magnets

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:01:19 GMT

Got some old bottle caps laying around? Don’t throw them out, Babysits and the Victoria Bug Zoo have a fun craft idea for you and your little one! These cute insect magnets are super quick and easy to make, all it takes is 3 simple steps. You can make whatever insects you like, we decided to make a Ladybird beetle, a Honeybee, a Blue milkweed beetle, and a Striped cucumber beetle. Take a look at our magnets in the picture above for some inspiration and follow the instructions below to create your own little insect magnets!

Materials:

Bottle caps
Paint
Magnets
Glue

Step 1: Start collecting bottle caps if you haven’t already and give them a quick rinse.

Step 2: Time to paint your favorite insects!

Step 3: Once the paint has dried, glue a small magnet to the back.

It’s as easy as that! Time to decorate your fridge with these fun little critters!

How did your magnets turn out? We’re curious! Share a picture with us on Instagram @babysits and @victoriabugzoo ! Did you enjoy this DIY? Click here for more fun craft ideas!

DIY Butterfly Toy

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:01:18 GMT

Spring is finally here, and we think butterflies are the perfect way to celebrate! Babysits and The Victoria Bug Zoo have teamed up to teach you how to make this beautiful butterfly toy. According to the Smithsonian Institution, there are about 17,500 species of butterfly in the world. That means you have LOTS of options for this DIY. We decided to make the Morpho didius, also known as the giant blue morpho. As the name suggests, this Neotropical butterfly has iridescent and metallic blue colored wings! This particular butterfly can be found in Peru, but by following our instructions you can have one at home too!

Materials:

Paper
Markers
Scissor
Tape

Step 1: Draw a large butterfly on a piece of paper, and leave some extra space between the wings.

Step 2: Cut out the butterfly and fold it in half. Then fold down the wings in the opposite direction. Use the dotted lines in the picture below as a guide.

Step 3: Now you can use markers to color in your butterfly however you like.

Step 4: Cut two strips of paper.

Step 5: Tape one strip of paper underneath each wing.

All done! If you hold the base of the butterfly with one hand and pull the strips of paper up and down with your other hand, it will look like your butterfly is flying! Share a picture of your creation and tag @babysits and @victoriabugzoo on Instagram! Check out the Babysits blog for more fun craft ideas!

DIY: Insect Crossword for Kids

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:01:17 GMT

Does your child love insects? Put their knowledge to the test with this fun crossword puzzle! We’ve listed 7 different types of insects, name them all in order to complete the crossword! Click here to download and print the crossword puzzle or check out the picture below! For more fun kids activities check out the Babysits blog .

Babysits is an online platform that helps connect parents with babysitters. Are you in need of a babysitter? Click here to find the perfect sitter for you.

DIY: Insect Word Search for Kids

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:01:15 GMT

Looking for a fun insect-related activity? We’ve got you covered with this printable word search! You can click here to download and print the word search, another option would be to complete the puzzle on an iPad/tablet. Check out the Victoria Bug Zoo website under What’s New to find more insect-related puzzles, activities, and DIYs. The words in this puzzle are a combination of insect-types, insect anatomy, and other insect related vocabulary! If you are unsure of what any of the words mean you can do some research yourself or ask next time you’re at the Victoria Bug Zoo!

This article was written by Babysits Canada . Babysits is an online platform that helps connect parents with babysitters. Are you in need of a babysitter? Click here to find the perfect sitter for you. For more fun activities check out our blog .

https://www.canva.com/design/DAEUn3MNBKc/share/preview?token=x8MkDUwKm9qOAKVF-7lBig&role=EDITOR&utm_content=DAEUn3MNBKc&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton

DIY-Ant Mazes Activity for Kids

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:00:57 GMT

Need a fun activity to keep your little ones entertained? The Victoria Bug Zoo and Babysits have got you covered! These ant mazes are really fun and perfect for young kids. Completing mazes like these are great for children as it improves their problem solving skills. It’s also a great way for children to practice their patience, learn about persistence, and improve their cognitive thought processes. If that’s not enough, it’s also great for improving fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination!

You can download these mazes and print them out for your kids. If you want to save some paper, your child can solve the maze on a tablet using their finger or a stylus. It may be tricky for really small children, but the older ones can even do it on a laptop with their mouse!

Fun Facts about Ants!

There are over 12,000 species of ants all over the world!
Ants can lift 20 times their own weight, some can lift even more!!
Some species of ants work together with other animals to make their food
The queen ant of the Western Harvester (Pogonomyrmex Owyheei) ant species can live up to 30 years!
When looking for food, ants leave a pheromone trail so they know where they have and have not been!

DIY: Insect Log Book

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 18:33:41 GMT

Are you heading to the Victoria Bug Zoo soon? Well don’t forget to print out this fun log book beforehand! Take this log book with you so that you can fill in the information about all the bugs you see. You can write the insect’s name, where you found it or its place of origin, what its diet consists of, and other notes. There is even a white square where you can do your best to draw the insect that you are observing! You can also bring this log book with you to your backyard or to the park in case you find a cool new critter out in nature.

You can click here to download and print the log book, print as many pages as you need!

Victoria Bug Zoo Word Scramble

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 18:31:04 GMT

Here’s a fun activity that will get your little ones thinking! Babysits Canada has created a Victoria Bug Zoo-themed word scramble. Click here to download and print it for your child! All you need to complete these puzzles is something to write with. Are you able to get all 5 words correct? Then you must really know your stuff! But if you get stuck, don’t worry! We’ve added images of all 5 critters to make it a little easier. If you need some more help, check out and read through the Victoria Bug Zoo website to find some clues.

For more fun activities like these check out the Babysits blog . Babysits is an online platform that helps connect parents with babysitters. Are you a parent looking for a sitter? Or a babysitter looking for a job? Click here to sign up!

Insect Vocabulary for Kids

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 18:27:43 GMT

Is your child interested in all things bug related? Teach them more about insects with these fun vocabulary words! Click here to download and print the flashcards. Another fun way to use this deck is to print each card separately, cut them out, and use them to play a game of memory. Lay out all the cards face down and take turns trying to find the words and their matching definitions. Your child will be a knowledgeable insect expert in no time. For more fun kids activities check out the Babysits blog .

Babysits is an online platform that helps connect parents with babysitters. Are you in need of a babysitter? Click here to find the perfect sitter for you.

Spider Web Brownies

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 18:25:38 GMT

Halloween is right around the corner, and Babysits has the perfect treat for you! These Spider Web Brownies are easy to make and super delicious. Impress your friends by bringing them to a Halloween Party, add them to your children’s lunchbox for a sweet treat, or indulge in them while watching a scary movie at home to celebrate the spooky season. Follow the easy steps below to make the brownies, and then get decorating. There are no rules when it comes to decorating, so use this recipe for inspiration and be creative!

Ingredients:

½ cup melted margarine (or butter)
1½ cup sugar
⅓ cup non-dairy or dairy milk
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Optional: add some chocolate chips or nuts

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 175º (350ºF)
Grease a 20cmx20cm (8inx8in) pan
Melt the margarine or butter and combine with the sugar in a large bowl.
Mix in the milk and vanilla extract.
Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt) in a separate bowl.
Pour the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture.
Mix until the batter is smooth, then add in some chocolate chips or nuts if you would like.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.
Remember to let the brownies cool before decorating!

Time to decorate!

Once the brownies are cool you can cut them into squares and start decorating! We used store bought icing but you can definitely make your own homemade royal icing if you prefer. White icing will have a nice contrast against the dark brown brownies, it also means you won’t need to buy any food coloring. Make sure to use a very small piping tip to create the thin icing lines for your spider web. Start in the corner or in the center and make thin lines outwards. Connect the lines with smaller horizontal lines to create your spider web. Making regular brownies halloween-themed is that easy! These spider-web brownies would also go great with our spider-treats from last year’s halloween-recipe. For more kid-friendly recipes and DIYs check out the Babysits Blog .

DIY DragonFly Ornaments

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 18:18:31 GMT

Babysits and The Victoria Bug Zoo have teamed up to teach you how to make DIY dragonfly ornaments! We will guide you through making a festive Red Grasshawk Dragonfly and an icy looking Male Widow Skimmer. These beautiful DIY dragonflies will look great hanging on the Christmas tree! Don’t celebrate Christmas? These dragonflies make great gifts for insect-lovers, whether it’s for Christmas, Hanukkah, or a birthday! You can attach the dragonfly to a hairband, keychain, or even a baby mobile for young bug-enthusiasts!

What will you need?

Paperclips
Pipe Cleaners
Yarn
Beads
Ribbon
Paint (optional)

How to make them?

Step 1: For the dragonfly’s body you will first need to straighten out a paperclip!

Step 2: For the Red Grasshawk Dragonfly, we wrapped the paperclip with red yarn. For the Male Widow Skimmer, we decided to use beads instead. Bend the ends of the paperclips back to hold everything in place.

Step 3: Now time to bead the pipe cleaners! If you don’t have pipe cleaners, any flexible wire will do.

Step 4: Create wings with the pipe cleaners and tuck them under the bent part of the paperclip. Then tie a ribbon around the wings so you can hang it on the Christmas tree.

Optional: Paint your dragonfly! We didn’t have black beads so we used some black paint to finish off our Male Widow Skimmer!

How did your dragonflies turn out? Send us a picture @babysits and @victoriabugzoo on Instagram! Did you enjoy this DIY? Click here to find more holiday craft ideas!

COVID-19 Safety Regulations

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 18:01:58 GMT

Updated January 2025

Masks are mandatory for the first hour of the day for those ages 5 and up.

Accessibility Hours*:

1st hour of the day

There are no exceptions during this time frame.

We have made this decision to remain as accessible as we can to those in our community.

Masks continue to be highly recommended in the Giftshop and the Zoo at all other times. Masks will continue to be free with admission.

Store Hours

Weekdays: 11a-4p

Weekends: 10a-4p

Accessibility Hours*

Weekdays: 11a-12p

Weekends: 10a-11p

*masks mandatory during this time

If you have any questions please email bugs@victoriabugzoo.ca

Thank you for understanding and have a great day.

So you want a Praying Mantis?

stephanie.gomez@peek.com (Ben Harrison) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 17:54:44 GMT

Hatch your very Own Chinese Green Praying Mantis!

Please head over to our home page to add yourself to the Praying Mantis Mailing list!

Please be advised that being on the mailing list does not guarantee that you will receive an Ootheca.

Keep an eye out for our email announcement in March (sometimes they go to junk mail!)

From late March to Early June we sell Chinese Green Praying Mantis Ootheca (Eggs Sacs!!). Once we run out, we run out! It is first come first serve. Once we are all out, we take a waitlist. Those on the waitlist will be contacted in Early March and will have first priority.

Keep in mind that Ootheca can have anywhere between 50-200 babies! Don’t worry though, they like to do this little thing call siblicide… I know, a little brutal, but at least you won’t have a house full of carnivorous friends come summer time!

Please check out our Instagram and Facebook for more up to date information on when they are available.

P.S. Wanting another type of Praying Mantis? Everyone else is ILLEGAL in Canada! I know, it's a bit of a bummer but much better for our environment!

A female praying mantis will lay an ootheca (egg case) which usually contains between 50 and 200 eggs. These mantids can grow up to 10cm long and range in color from brown to green. Praying mantis are fascinating to watch hatch and grow up, make great pets at home or in the classroom, and will act as natural bio-control/pest control in closed gardens.

We DO NOT recommend using these in open garden systems or letting them go into the wild.

When you buy your egg case from the Bug Zoo you will receive one ootheca and hours of fun.

We recommend doing a bit of research before buying your egg case so you know what to expect.

We are able to send the egg cases in the mail (cost for egg case + shipping costs). Feel free to email or stop by the Zoo if you have questions. $29.99 (+tax) each.

The Chinese Green Praying Mantis is the only Praying Mantis allowed as a pet in Canada. Orchid Mantids are illegal to own.

p.s. Stick Insects of all species are also illegal in Canada. You can face up to a $250,000 fine if found.

** Side-note ** T. aridifolia sinensis, the Chinese Praying Mantis, was accidentally introduced into a nursery in Philadelphia, PA in 1896 and is now found throughout North America. There is only one generation per year and it is very unlikely that they would mate or lay eggs (plus they do not survive cold weather). Letting them outside will not harm/change the local ecosystem, only help your plants not get eaten! They have, however, they are known to eat small Humming Birds so please do not release them in areas where Humming Birds reside.

victoria-bug-zoo

Live Bugs for Sale!

Halloween Event 2025

Halloween Market and Spooky Bug Time!

New Safety Regulations

Masking Changes

SFS x VBZ November Activity

Seedlings Forest School and Victoria Bug Zoo Collab

SFS X VBZ October Activity

SFS x VBZ September Activity

My Nature Workbook

Bug Kits

Choose which kit works best for your classroom!

27-Piece Arthropod Kit: $75.00 per week

Smaller kits: $25.00 per week each or $35.00 per week for both

10-Piece Insect Orders Kit: $40.00 per week

Smaller kit add-ons: $10.00 each per week

Larger kit add-ons: $15.00 each per week

Live metamorphosis in action add-on: $15 per class

DIY Rainbow Stag Beetle

DIY Chocolate and Peanutbutter Redback Spider Treats

DIY Firefly Lanterns

DIY Ladybird Valentine’s Day Card

DIY Insect Coloring Book

DIY Insect Magnets

DIY Butterfly Toy

DIY: ﻿Insect Crossword for Kids

DIY: ﻿Insect Word Search for Kids

DIY-﻿Ant Mazes Activity for Kids

DIY: Insect Log Book

Victoria Bug Zoo Word Scramble

Insect Vocabulary for Kids

Spider Web Brownies

DIY DragonFly Ornaments

COVID-19 Safety Regulations

So you want a Praying Mantis?

Hatch your very Own Chinese Green Praying Mantis!

Please head over to our home page to add yourself to the Praying Mantis Mailing list!

Please be advised that being on the mailing list does not guarantee that you will receive an Ootheca.

Keep an eye out for our email announcement in March (sometimes they go to junk mail!) ﻿

DIY: Insect Crossword for Kids

DIY: Insect Word Search for Kids

DIY-Ant Mazes Activity for Kids

Keep an eye out for our email announcement in March (sometimes they go to junk mail!)