He was among about 180 children who were in their element yesterday at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery at Inveresk who took part in the Bug Day Out, held as part of National Science Week.

As part of the day children were asked to bring along their own bug, and they were lining up in anticipation from 11am, two hours before the activities started.

‘‘They get to come along and speak to specialists about their bugs and hopefully get more engaged in science,’’ QVMAG natural sciences curator David Maynard said yesterday.

‘‘We have specialists who know about ants, spiders and insects generally, so they get to talk to those specialists on a real one-on-one basis.

‘‘They also learn why and how a museum collects animals, topics such as how to identify an ant and science-related craft, so they can have a bit of fun, but they are also learning.’’

Mr Maynard said the event would attract serious bug collectors, who brought in insects like rhinoceros beetles that they have to buy from a pet shop, to those who just brought in whatever they had found in their backyard.

‘‘We see things like scorpions and different types of spiders and a real cross section of bugs,’’ he said.

The museum will hold two more Bug Day Outs before the end of the year.