Giant Bug Invasion at the Canadian Museum of Nature (Photo)

A chance to stand face-to-face with bugs, handle the creepy crawlers and even munch on them is available to visitors to the Canadian Museum’s of Nature’s new exhibition Bugs: Outside the Box, whic.

“There are lots of insects out there that are important parts of eco-systems and they’re beautiful creatures,” said Robert Anderson, the museum’s resident beetle expert who helped craft the show and has discovered over 120 insects during his career.

“There seems to be two kinds of people around: people who are terrified of insects and people who love them. We’re hopeful we’ll get both kinds of people coming here,” he said.

The first room of the show features 16 human-sized insect models, created by an Italian sculptor, that shows the scaled-up details of exotic bugs.

The second room features live and non-living specimens, all enclosed in glass cases. From tough fist-sized beetles to beautiful monarch butterflies, the creatures run from the odd to the dazzling.

Giant bugs invade the Museum of Nature (Photo)

For the faint of heart, the exhibit leaves out some of the creepier crawlies (no centipedes, spiders, millipedes or earwigs) and focuses on beetles, butterflies and stick bugs.

Part of the strategy is making things bigger and giving people a closer look at the mysterious creatures, which represent 70 per cent of species on earth.

If that doesn’t work, defeat your bug fear by sampling the futuristic dried and flavoured crickets and mealworms enclosed in the exhibit’s bug snack machine.

This exhibition is supported by Orkin Canada. A surcharge of $4 (in addition to regular museum admission) applies to the special Bugs: Outside the Box exhibition. For more information about Museum hours and activities, visit nature.ca. Follow the museum on Twitter and Instagram (museumofnature) as well as on Facebook.

Agencies/Canadajournal