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Make a Bug Vacuum

Bugs are fun to watch, but not everyone likes to pick them up. Here's a handy tool, called a pooter, that lets you vacuum the critters into a collection jar without hurting them.

What You Need:

Clear jar with a tight lid
2 feet of flexible plastic tubing, about 1/4-inch diameter, available at hardware stores and aquarium shops. (Plastic tubing works best, but you may substitute 2 flexible drinking straws.)
Small square of gauze, panty hose or cheesecloth
Rubber band
Hot glue or other sealant

What You Do:

Make two holes in the lid of the jar. The holes should be just big enough to fit the tubing.
Cover one end of the tubing with gauze and fasten with a rubber band. Cut the tubing in half.
Insert the tubes into the lid so that the gauze-covered end goes inside the jar. Use hot glue or other sealant to fill in around the holes.
To use the vacuum, suck on the tube that is covered with gauze.
Place the open end of the other tube close to an insect. As you suck, the insect will be drawn into the jar. (The gauze will keep it from going up the other tube and into your mouth! You may wish to mark the tube that you suck on by wrapping a rubber band around it.)
Once you have caught some bugs, study them with a magnifying glass before releasing them back into the wild.
Adapted from Ranger Rick magazine.