Nick McMurray demonstrates how to hold a millipede at his educational booth at the DoubleTree Hotel in Sacramento on Saturday.
Naomi Taxay
naomi.taxay@sacbee.com
Sacramento was crawling Saturday as crowds packed Bugtopia, winding between tables and clustering around displays with the restless motion of a human-sized ant colony.
The first day of the inaugural insect and plant exposition at the DoubleTree Hotel Sacramento brought together bug enthusiasts, curious families and collectors eager to take a peek at pinned and live critters ranging from colorful butterflies to hairy tarantulas.
Event organizer Ethan Robbins, who has his own reptile business and wanted to expand into bugs, said the turnout exceeded expectations. He had anticipated hobbyists and collectors, but thousands of attendees were newcomers to the field, including families with young children.
“A lot of people are just working a 9-to-5 and they don’t have time to explore,” Robbins said. “So we’re bringing that for people to see and experience.”
Many vendors emphasized education and sustainability. Nick McMurray, who became fascinated with bugs as a child turning over logs in the woods, now runs a public outreach program to get others interested in insects.
For McMurray, getting people interested means undoing some of what they have been taught about bugs. He said Americans often grow up learning to be afraid of them, while other cultures have developed different relationships with insects. He wants curiosity to replace some of that fear.
“I think that bugs are one of the most important organisms on the planet, and I think that they get a bad rap,” McMurray said. “We’re going through this cultural shift that I’m trying to help make happen, getting people to love and appreciate bugs.”
Vendors showcased bug-themed hats, antennae and other merchandise, but plenty of attendees arrived with their own displays of insect devotion.
An attendee takes pictures of her friend holding a tarantula at the inaugural Bugtopia expo at the DoubleTree Hotel in Sacramento on Saturday. Naomi Taxay naomi.taxay@sacbee.com
Elizabeth Slagboom came dressed head to toe as a red fire ant, an outfit she made the night before to showcase her love for bugs. She came with her boyfriend, who wanted to celebrate his birthday by getting “something rare, something flashy,” and her friends, who work together at the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District.
“I wanted to study diseases at first, but I didn’t want to be stuck inside a hospital all day,” Slagboom said. “So mosquitoes allow me to be out in the field, and I just really like the crossover because I get to study something so small that can cause so much damage. But by studying it and working with them, I can help people.”
Attendee Elizabeth Slagboom stayed up late making her red fire ant costume for Bugtopia at the DoubleTree Hotel in Sacramento on Saturday. Naomi Taxay naomi.taxay@sacbee.com
The Bella family came without knowing quite what to expect from Bugtopia — or even whether the inaugural event would feature live insects. They left with two death-feigning beetles, a male and female, after the kids recognized the species from the Folsom Zoo.
In addition to live bugs, attendees can browse a variety of pinned insects or try their hand at pinning one themselves during a workshop. Bugtopia continues through 4 p.m. Sunday, and Robbins said it will “definitely” return next year. Tickets can be bought online at bugtopiaexpo.com or at the door.
This story was originally published August 15, 2026 at 1:10 PM.
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Naomi Taxay is a summer reporting intern for The Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Bureau. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and studies journalism and political science at Northwestern University. She has reported on immigration and demographics from Washington, D.C., and on agriculture and energy across Illinois.