Purchase safe bug traps at science stores, educational stores or hardware stores. Butterfly nets and plastic bug containers can allow you to get an up-close looks at local bugs.
Talk to scientists, biologists, educators and insect specialists. Science professors at local colleges may be willing to speak to you in person, and local biological research plants may have public email addresses. Ask them about the types of insects that are in your area.
Go to your local nature and science museum. Museums often have collections of dead bugs on display. Some of the bugs displayed there may be extinct or foreign.
Find a butterfly museum or bug and insect area of your local zoo. Observing how bugs behave up-close is the best way to get first-hand experience. Butterfly museums often allow butterflies and moths to fly around you, occasionally landing on people.
Study bugs at your local library or educational institute. Find books at bookstores specializing in education or science. Notice the differences between species, such as color, defense mechanisms, habitats and eating habits.