Make Your Own Bug Box!

Below is a very easy way to make an enclosure for studying, observing and keeping insects. You can rear just about any kind of insect in this box. Just remember to follow the Bug Lady’s Tips on Keeping Live Insects so that your insects have everything they need to survive.

What you need:
  • Large Styrofoam box with a lid (approx 55cm x 35cm)
  • Stanley knife
  • Clear sticky tape (around 2.5cm wide)
  • Cling Wrap
  • A piece of mesh or fly screen (approx 30cm x 20cm)
  • Scissors
  • Felt Pen
  • An adult to help you

Step 1

Get hold of a large Styrofoam box with a lid. Ask your local greengrocer if they have one. Make sure the box is nice and clean. If it is a bit grubby, simply wash it out using some warm water and detergent, rinse well and let it dry in the sun.

Step 2

Remove the lid. Using a ruler, measure a 4cm border around the lid. Mark the border with a felt pen or biro.


Step 3

Tip* Ask an adult to help you with this step. Stanley knives are very sharp and it is easy to cut yourself. Using a sharp Stanley knife, cut along your lines. Be careful that you cut out your lid on a suitable surface (you don’t want to leave cut marks on your parent’s kitchen table)! You should end up with a large rectangular hole cut out of your lid.

Tip* - Here’s a good use for the leftover Styrofoam rectangle. Insects are often attracted to bright, white objects. Sit your piece of Styrofoam outside on a sunny day and see if any insects come to visit. Many flies, beetles and bugs should come and land on it.

Step 4

Tape the cling wrap over the hole that you have made (use the Stanley knife or some scissors to trim it to the right size). Make sure you tape all the way around the border so that your insects don’t escape. Now your lid is finished!

Step 5

We now need to make a ventilation hole in the top of the box. This will make sure our insects get plenty of fresh air and don’t get too hot or damp. Stand your box up and measure a 25cm x 15cm rectangle on the top. Make sure you draw your rectangle in the centre of the box and make sure you don’t get too close to the edges. Mark out the rectangle using a felt pen or biro.

Step6

Once again, getting an adult to help you, cut out the rectangle.

Step 7

Tape your piece of mesh or fly screen over the hole you have cut. Make sure you tape all the way around the edges so that your insects can’t get out.

Step 8

Put the lid on, stand the box up and you’re done! You now have your very own Bug Box. Now head to the Bug Lady’s Tips on Keeping Live Insects to learn all about keeping your critters happy.