Big, beautiful bugs

A 15-foot Japanese hornet greets visitors entering the parking lot of the Bishop Museum.

If that doesn’t scare you off, the trail of oversize creepy crawlers continues on the museum’s lawn and rooftops with more than 20 giant animatronic bugs, ranging from a benign ladybug to a frightening scorpion, on display as part the "Xtreme BUGS" exhibit, which opened Dec. 8.

"Lots of people have a real interest in insects," said Mike Shanahan, director of education, exhibits and planetarium at Bishop Museum. "When the insects are seen at this size, it minimizes the yucky factor, and we can appreciate the beauty of these creatures."

A pathway leading into the science center is home to an enormous honeybee, with an 18-foot wingspan, pollinating a flower and a fluttering monarch butterfly.

Many of the exhibits have motion sensors that cause the insects to spring to life when activated, with the sudden buzzing and clicking noises sometimes startling visitors, Shanahan said.

Interactive and educational signs punctuate the exhibit, highlighting interesting facts about some of the bugs.

The museum’s Gressitt Center, which houses more than 14 million specimens of insects and anthropods, provides additional information on bugs in the museum’s Science Center.

Though the museum boasts the third-largest entomology collection in the United States and the eighth largest in the world, the full collection is accessible only to researchers and scientists.

"Kids have no problem with bugs. They are curious and love nature," said Bishop Museum’s senior entomologist Neal Evenhuis, who works at the Gressitt Center. "As they get older, they are told that bugs are bad."

While people might not always appreciate bugs, Evenhuis said it is important to remember their role in ecosystems.

"People don’t have a lot of nice things to say about flies," he said. "But there is a fly that specifically pollinates the cacao flower. Without flies we wouldn’t have chocolate."

Deal combines aquatic animals and teddy bears

The world of sea creatures is joining forces with teddy bears in Waikiki.

With the new "Great Bear-ier Reef Pass," you can purchase one adult and one child admission to both attractions for $20 and receive a free key chain.

Besides the exhibits of sea jellies, fish, coral reefs and Hawaiian monk seals at Waikiki Aquarium, guests can check out the more than 800 animatronic bears at Teddy Bear World Hawai‘i.

The pass is available at both the Waikiki Aquarium, 2777 Kalakaua Ave., and Teddy Bear World Hawai‘i, 2155 Kalakaua Ave., until Dec. 31.

Call the Waikiki Aquarium at 923-9741 for more information.

Menu includes food, fun, Santa

Santa arrives for breakfast with the keiki at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach’s Kani Ka Pila Grille from 8 to 10 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

Enjoy a buffet breakfast, balloon art, face painting and a free photo with Santa.

Cost is $25, $12.50 for children ages 5 to 11, free for kids 4 and younger. For reservations, call 924-4993.