The Bug Museum Montreal
The bug museum montreal is the largest insect museum in North America and among the largest in the world. Located in the heart of Montreal’s Olympic Park, it’s part of the larger Space for Life complex that also includes the Biodome, Botanical Garden and Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium.
Its interiors, designed by Berlin-based studio Kuehn Malvezzi with local firms Pelletier de Fontenay and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte Architectes, evoke the experience of being a bug. The museum combines habitats for live insects with galleries that display preserved specimens. Across the main building, horizontal bands of preserved insects are arranged by hue on walls covered in sprayed-on concrete—a material the architects describe as having “the spatial and decorative effect of a frieze.”
Visitors can explore the museum’s collection and learn about the importance of bugs to our ecosystems through immersive educational experiences. These include perceptual experiences that recreate the way a bug sees and feels the world, including spaces that mimic tight passageways cockroaches can crawl through or the pixelated vision of a fly. Other spaces, inspired by real insect habitats, include chambers, nests, vegetation, and galleries.
As part of its mission, the museum supports initiatives to protect insect populations and their habitats. This includes supporting the Monarch Butterfly Conservation Program, which works to encourage the spread of native plants that attract monarch butterflies, and educating the public on how they can help. The museum also participates in research projects that support the study and preservation of insects. For more details please visit bug museum montreal
Founded in 1990, the Insectarium is one of four museums at the Space for Life complex and was built to embody a new approach to learning about nature. Its design aims to transform our relationship with insects by promoting empathy and a greater appreciation for their vital role in our planet’s ecosystem.
The Insectarium is open year-round and offers a variety of exhibitions, presentations and activities for all ages. In addition, it hosts several educational and scientific conferences. The Insectarium’s collections of preserved insects are considered to be among the most significant in copyright, and include many rare and exotic species as well as common household pests. They’re complemented by a large collection of botanical and meteorological specimens. The museum is located at 1050, rue Pie-IX Ouest, Montreal. For more information, visit the website.