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Insectarium de Montréal
Category: Arts & Entertainment Museums Museums [Edit]
4581 Rue Sherbrooke EstMontréal, QC H1X 2B2
(514) 872-1400
- Hours:
Tue-Sun 9 am - 5 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
10 reviews for Insectarium de Montréal
9 reviews in English
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Review from Anne K.
8/28/2011
I don't like bugs - not even the cute ones (e.g. ladybugs and butterflies). The Insectarium does a great job at removing the gross factor because most of the bugs have been preserved and mounted behind glass. There are live insects as well - but they're all inside sturdy-looking tanks. If anything, I think I became less scared of household bugs (i.e. your average ant and moth) after seeing some of their monstrous cousins in person.
The Insectarium is actually located inside the Montreal Botanical Garden - it's the building to your right when you enter. Both the Insectarium and Botanical Garden are included in the Nature Package at the Biodome for only $21 if you're a college student (normally $28 per adult). -
Review from Michael Z.
Montréal, QC
1/6/2012
My son loves this place. A world class collection of insects along with the coolest indoor/outdoor beehive you'll ever see
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Review from Krsna V.
9/6/2008
I love bugs. Only when they are in captivity. This is a great place to see those hissing roaches without feeling the urge to stomp on them.
I don't like bugs. They make me squirm... well, most of them. I love cute ones like butterflies. I have a strong urgency to kill a bug when I see it. Perhaps, it is because I grew up surrounded (and traumatized) by them? You know, when you grow up in the jungles of Congo and rural India, you are at the mercy of the local bugs. They rule the land. Try escaping a swarm of ants, having to run fast so roaches don't creep on you, or just avoiding a particular place because you are afraid the beetles will eat you alive. No wonder I am traumatized for life.
Anyway, I love watching bugs in their habitats... as long as they are shielded from human contact. This insectarium has an excellent ant farm. The farm occupies an entire room. You can see the lives of ants, how hard they work, and their hives. It is spectacular.
There are probably a thousand different types of beetles. Boy, am I glad they all are dead. Imagine me trying to stomp on all of them if they are alive and crawling. No, I don't want memories of my brief stay in Kenya.
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at this insectarium. The only side effect is that I got a little creeped out towards the end of the tour. I haven't been around so many bugs (dead or alive) since I came back to the U.S. (well, mosquitoes in Mississippi don't count... because Mississippi is a different planet, imo).Listed in: Montreal - The land of hot…
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Review from Mathieu B.
Roxboro, QC
6/30/2009
It's not some place I really go each year, though it is a must for the family and for curious people of all ages. George Brassard was a Notaire (Laywer) and after a career, quit everything for his passion for insects. He's got a gift, a talent to make people believe some creature you'd usually find creepy to be magnificent. He gave his whole collection to the Insectarium, over 100K of specimen. This unique place promote the knowledge of those creature and fight against some predjudice we always have based on the fact we found those spiders or scarab ugly.
To discover the exciting world of insect, at least 1 visit is a must.
Fun things: They organized tours in English and French. Not really expensive. They organize Insect Cuisine too: Weird but fun! No Recipe is focussing on the taste of the guts, so it's not that discusting, really!
I'd recommand people to check on youtube some clips of Insectia the documentary turns with Georges Brassard -
Review from Jef S.
8/20/2008
Attached to the beautiful Jardin Bontanique is the wonderfully interesting Insectarium. This museum is NOT for everyone, especially if viewing giant African beetles isn't your thing. If you can suspend your internal nausea factor, this museum is a pretty fascinating look at the bazillion species of insects that populate our planet.
There's a bit of a double edged sword here: if live bugs make you squirm, then the Insectarium might be good for you because most of the bugs (esp. the seriously gross ones) are dead and mounted. This may be disappointing for the bug enthusiast who wants to see more live samples. I find the live bees the most interesting because you can watch the whole hive operating.
The facilities are large, though not sprawling. Little kids may get bored easily, but bigger kids will like this museum. Admission can be bundled in at a slight discount when paired with other Jardin Botanique attractions.Listed in: Canada!
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Review from Peter G.
2/24/2009
I was so excited to go to the Insectarium. I mean who wouldn't at least be curious about a museum of bugs?
Once inside I was surprised at how small the Insectarium was. It's a good thing bugs are so small so that they still have a pretty sizable collection, but it still felt a little disappointing. There's not that many living insects on display. There's something that makes rows of dead bugs pretty easy to just breeze by where terrariums of living specimens doing little buggy things actually command your attention and time a little bit more.
The museum is very kid-oriented. There's not a lot of information about the specimens except for their names and their area of origin. The interactivity level is quite low, but the under 10 set seems to really enjoy the collections.
Unless you're going with kids who love insects you're safe to skip it. There's nothing spectacular or unique in this rather small collection. Overall, I was pretty disappointed. This place has a lot of potential but they really need to make some changes. -
Review from Bridget M.
9/2/2008
I am so excited to be able to review things in Montreal, and extra excited this is my first thing to review!
This is adjacent to the Jardin Bontanique (so you might as well get the full ticket package, though truth be told I found the Jardin to be underwhelming)
The Insectarium is, as the name implies, a museum dedicated to insects. If you like mounted insects, this is the place for you. If you like watching living insects, maybe not so much, as there are only a handful of exhibits that feature live insects.
The museum is two levels, the first being predominantly mounted insects and how they have been utilized in various cultures for jewelry, pigment, torture, etc.
Downstairs is a more sprawling exhibit that includes more of the live insects, including this amazing ant colony, where one side is the nest, and the other side is their food source, so you can watch ants crawling over vines bringing food home. It's really amazing.
They also have the mandatory honeybee hives (which make sense since it's connected to a large garden) and an amazing Goliath Beetle who will fascinate you (or make your skin crawl) -
Review from Rebecca L.
9/17/2008
Possibly one of the best ideas for a museum.
The bee-hive-behind-glass-connected-to-a-tube-that-goe s-outside is pretty dang cool.
Just wish it was bigger and ya know with more alive insects instead of dead ones. -
Review from Norman S.
11/25/2008
i love specialty shops and rarities.
no where else to go in north america to see such a grand collection of insects. unfortunately most of them are dead but they are very well mounted and you can study them so well.
kids absolutely love this place.
the live insect exhibits are really cool, the ants, the bees, and even the roaches. i walked out of there with a greater appreciation for these animals.
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