The Bug Room opened in summer 1993. As the museum’s first gallery of live animals, it not only provides people with a chance to see what various exotic insects and their relatives look like, but how they behave and what they eat. More than that, though, the gallery is interpreted by volunteers who are trained to take various species out and give the public an opportunity to actually handle them. The gallery is also designed to allow changes to be made easily and we regularly receive new species that make it well worthwhile coming back for repeat visits.
Instead of building cages into a false wall the way it is done in most live insect exhibits, we elected to set the whole cage out on special stands. This means that all sides of the cages are visible, increasing one’s chances of finding the more secretive animals.
As much as possible cages are set up to reflect the habitat where the animals would be found. This cage houses our Tailless Whipscorpions.
The very popular stick insects are grouped together in large upright cages, allowing us to put whole plants in the cages. The plants are blackberries, which we grow in our greenhouse, and it is the leaves that the stick insects eat.
The gallery is not limited to live creatures and there are many wall mounts of large spectacular insects from around the world. These two cases contain some of the world’s largest and most spectacular scarab beetles.
Our wall of butterflies has over 2000 specimens of spectacular butterflies and moths from around the world.
Volunteers interpret the gallery, giving the public an opportunity to ask questions and to hold or touch some of the animals. This is a great opportunity for people with fears to overcome those fears, and to ensure that children do not grow up with those fears. Most fears of insects and their relatives are irrational fears and as such can have a strong negative impact on one’s life.
School groups regularly use the gallery and we have special programs for that purpose. Check out our education department for more information.
The Bug Room opened in summer 1993. As the museum’s first gallery of live animals, it not only provides people with a chance to see what various exotic insects and their relatives look like, but how they behave and what they eat. More than that, though, the gallery is interpreted by volunteers who are trained to take various species out and give the public an opportunity to actually handle them. The gallery is also designed to allow changes to be made easily and we regularly receive new species that make it well worthwhile coming back for repeat visits. 
