Ideas for a native European insectarium ?

[Haliaeetus]

Hello,

do you have ideas of design for a section of a zoo dedicated to European insects and other invertebrates ?
It could be a building with terraria/aquaria, a greenhouse with a pond...
I have hardly any examples of such species in zoos, although they represent a large part of biodiversity and in spite of the large number of insectariums in Europe (that display 99% of tropical species, that are often more spectacular).
I don't know also if the problem of seasonality of life cycles of insects (especially from temperate or cold climates) can be resolved in captivity : most species are active as adults for a small part of the year (otherwise they live as larvae/chrysalidae and even eggs), some of them for only few weeks/days (as large scarabeids).
Do you have some examples of real/fictive designs for these animals ?

Thanks.

 

[Jurek7]

When I was still thinking big:
So you think you know how to exhibit invertebrates? Ultimate insect house

I don't know of many real-life examples. Papiliorama Kerzers in Switzerland has an outdoor aviary for native butterflies, but they exist as imagos for a few weeks only. Some wetland centers in England have some native water insects.

I never heard of e.g. a forest or mountain national park visitor centre exhibiting stag beetle, great capricorn beetle or Alpine longhorn beetle.

 

[Zoovolunteer]

One species that might work is the Wood ant Formica rufa. They have large nests that are active most of the year and can persist for decades, and a single colony may make multiple nest mounds, so there is potential for a good display.

 

[Zoovolunteer]

Another type that might make good exhibit animals are the various tiger beetles - adults tend to be long-lived and both colourful and active. Larvae usually take several years to mature.

 

[LARTIS]

European invertebrates like insects and arachnids can be kept in indoor tanks like tropical species.
My neighbours and I used old aquariums less spectecular as in the videos by nordic ants.

Some of the species kept and bred were
centi and millipedes glomeris and different isopods.
these reproduce that much that the captive population d not collapse.
Snails and slugs too. They live several years.
I have seen british channel on native Phasmids and Mantis. Live a bir shorter but can be maintained thru reproduction.
Ant colonies love for a bit.
Beetle are a bit trickier but some species live for a bit.
Other species' larvas can be made visible if they live in the substrate.
Earthworms were also great.
Even earwigs.
Silverfish reproduced very succesfull and despure their nature to constantly hife a bit of dim light and the high population density allowed to actualy see them properly, when they stopped for a second to decide where to seek refuge.

 

[Jurek7]

The video above is actually cool!

Zoo-wise, there are only few examples of attempting to create a functional ecosystem, not an imitation of an ecosystem.

The Jungle at Burgers Zoo was originally meant to be partially a functional ecosystem. For example, a colony of guppies and frogs was breeding fast enough to sustain African darters feeding on them. A plague of ants was counteracted by releasing diverse insect-eating small animals. Plants were chosen so that pioneer sun-loving trees were replaced by slower growing trees. Unfortunately, later it turned into a standard zoo exhibit - plants are planted and protected, animals are fed and predators and prey are kept apart etc.

 

[Ursus]

The Jungle at Burgers Zoo was originally meant to be partially a functional ecosystem. For example, a colony of guppies and frogs was breeding fast enough to sustain African darters feeding on them. A plague of ants was counteracted by releasing diverse insect-eating small animals. Plants were chosen so that pioneer sun-loving trees were replaced by slower growing trees. Unfortunately, later it turned into a standard zoo exhibit - plants are planted and protected, animals are fed and predators and prey are kept apart etc.

This is still the case though?
There are still ants and other insects in the halls. There's also still guppies and frogs present.. Just no darter.

Some plants are protectd as it is a botanical garden after all as well.

 

[KevinB]

I once visited a facility that had a small-mazed aviary over a garden, which housed a large selection of native European butterflies (at Entomopolis Lieteberg, in the National Park Hoge Kempen, in Zutendaal, Belgium). Such a (seasonal) native butterfly exhibit would I think be an interesting option for a native European insectarium.