Exotic bugs get new home at Houston Zoo

HOUSTON -- The Houston Zoo this weekend is opening its first insectarium in the park's 92-year history.

The 2,000-square-foot Houston "Bug House" features exotic and venomous insect species in more than two dozen custom habitats.

Curator Kevin Hodge says the insects normally are difficult to see in the wild, so the new bug house should help visitors better appreciate them and nature.

The displays include scorpions, spiders, beetles - even some giant cockroaches. Some of the bugs swim, others climb tree branches and even roll over and play dead when threatened.

The bug house has been planned for almost two years and its opening Saturday follows eight months of construction. The Houston Zoo is among the nation's most popular, drawing more than 2 million visitors a year.