Insectarium Hexapoda

What Insectarium Hexapoda does

Hexapoda - Insectarium Jean Leclercq is a public university museum and educational attraction located in Waremme, Belgium, dedicated entirely to hexapods (six-legged arthropods including insects). Founded in 2010 and operated under the institutional framework of the Université de Liège, it is the first insectarium in Belgium and Wallonia exclusively focused on this zoological category. The core product is a permanent museum exhibition featuring immersive spaces (spider cave, nocturnal forest room, leaf-cutting ant displays), a 100m² conservatory, an entomological garden with a pedagogical apiary, and interactive add-on experiences including a tablet-based escape game (Protocole Hexapoda) and, more recently, the Explorer's Camp exhibition (April 2026) and a barefoot sensory trail (July 2026). The museum also offers educational workshops, nature camps for children aged 4-12, and temporary exhibitions. The institution houses and provides access to a collection of approximately 6 million specimens, drawing from the Musée de l'Afrique centrale (Tervuren) and the Field Museum (Chicago).

The business model is a hybrid of public funding and earned visitor revenue. Hexapoda is owned and operated under the Université de Liège (a public institution), with funding and institutional support from the Région wallonne, the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, and the Ville de Liège (flagship municipal partnership since 2021). Earned revenue is generated through tiered ticket sales (general admission €5.5-€8.5, temporary exhibitions up to €14, family passes), thematic animation and workshop fees (€120-€200 per half/full day), escape game add-ons (€10/team), and summer nature camps (€72-€90 per child per week). Customer segments are families with children (primary), school groups (primary, with pedagogical animations and self-guided visits), and the general public/adult visitors interested in entomology and natural sciences. Distribution is direct via walk-in museum ticket sales and advance group reservations, supported by organic social (Facebook, Instagram) and an email newsletter. Operations are headquartered at a single physical site in Waremme, serving the Walloon domestic market with a stated headcount of 6 employees.

Name

Insectarium Hexapoda

Legal name

Hexapoda - Insectarium Jean Leclercq

Website

https://hexapoda.uliege.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hexapoda - Insectarium Jean Leclercq is a public university museum in Waremme, Belgium, operated under the Université de Liège and dedicated to hexapods (insects). It serves families, school groups, and the general public with a permanent exhibition, gardens, educational workshops, nature camps, and interactive experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum and Entomological Education

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130), Museums (712110), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH), Wildlife Watching & Encounters (Birding, Whale Watching, Primates) (THAJAIAC)

Keywords

• Entomological museum exhibits
• Natural history education
• Interactive science workshops
• Children's nature camps
• Tablet-based escape games

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Insectarium Hexapoda operates a physical museum and entomological garden dedicated to hexapods (insects and related six-legged arthropods), offering permanent exhibitions, an escape game, a barefoot sensory trail, educational animations, and weekly summer nature camps. Visitors access 6 million specimens in the conservatory, with paid admission, group workshops, and school programming generating revenue alongside public institutional funding.

Product overview

Hexapoda Insectarium Jean Leclercq is a university museum dedicated to hexapods (six-legged arthropods including insects), operating as a single-site visitor attraction with multiple integrated experiences. The core offering is the permanent museum exhibition featuring immersive spaces like the Explorer's Camp, spider cave, nocturnal forest room, and leaf-cutting ant displays. Additional experiences include the outdoor Barefoot Sensory Trail, an interactive escape game with tablets, and a pedagogical garden with an apiary. The museum also offers nature camps for children and educational animations for school groups. The institution collaborates with the Functional and Evolutionary Entomology Unit of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech and is part of the Embarcadère du Savoir cultural knowledge center at the University of Liège.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hexapoda Insectarium Jean Leclercq (Permanent Museum Exhibition) The main museum space dedicated to hexapods (including insects), featuring permanent exhibitions, an entomological garden, educational modules, and interactive experiences for visitors of all ages. Houses approximately 6 million specimens and is the core product of the institution.
• Educational Animations and Workshops Pedagogical animations and educational workshops for school groups and families covering insect biology, biodiversity, and natural sciences. Priced at €120 per half-day or €200 per full day for one animator (max 28 people), with preferential museum entry rates for accompanying persons.
• Stages Nature (Summer Nature Camps) Week-long nature camps for children ages 4-12 during school holidays, offering outdoor activities focused on insects and biodiversity exploration. Priced at €90 per child per week (€72 for 4-day week), with garderie (daycare) at €8 and a €85 rate for a second child.
• Insectarium Gardens (Entomological Garden) The entomological garden featuring a pedagogical apiary, natural habitats, flowering areas, a pond, and compost demonstrations showcasing insect ecosystems. Included with general museum admission.
• Protocole Hexapoda (Escape Game) An interactive tablet-based escape game experience where visitors solve puzzles and explore the museum to restore scientific data about insects and biodiversity. Priced at €10 per team (1-5 players) in addition to museum entry, approximately 1 hour duration.
• Le campement de l'exploratrice (Explorer's Camp Exhibition) An intimate exhibition space featuring a curiosity cabinet with specimens and objects from the University's museum collections, showcasing the world through the lens of an explorer and highlighting leaf-cutting ant fungus-farming behavior.
• Sentier sensoriel pieds nus (Barefoot Sensory Trail) An outdoor sensory experience in the entomological garden where visitors walk barefoot on various natural textures to discover how insects perceive their environment. Included with general museum admission.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.

• Ville de LiègeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021
• Unité d'Entomologie fonctionnelle et évolutive (Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, ULiège)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010
• Embarcadère du SavoircoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010
• Pôle muséal et culturel ULiègecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Université de Liège (ULiège)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Musée de l'Afrique centrale (Tervuren)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Région wallonne (Wallonie)supportingOthers
• Fédération Wallonie-BruxellessupportingOthers
• Observatoire du Monde des Plantes (ULiège)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Montreal Insectarium (Space for Life): One of the world's largest insectariums, operated as part of the Space for Life museum complex in Montreal. Directly comparable as a dedicated public insectarium offering permanent collections, immersive exhibits, and educational programs centered on insects.
• Muséum des Sciences naturelles de Belgique (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences): Belgium's national natural history museum in Brussels, with significant insect collections and exhibition halls. Comparable as a Belgian natural history museum addressing the same educational audience, with overlapping insect displays and school programs.
• Micropolis (La Cité des Insectes): French insect-themed park and museum in Saint-Léons, Aveyron, dedicated to insects and pollinators. Directly comparable as a dedicated insect visitor attraction with permanent exhibits, gardens, and family/school educational programming.
• AfricaMuseum (Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren): Belgian natural history and ethnography museum in Tervuren, an existing specimen-loan partner of Hexapoda. Comparable as a Belgian museum with entomology holdings, family/school programming, and ticketed admission in the same domestic market.

Broad incumbents

• Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (Natural History Museum Vienna): Major European natural history museum housing the world's largest insect collection. Comparable as a large, publicly funded natural history museum with a strong entomology focus and family/school educational programming.
• Natural History Museum, London: One of the world's leading natural history museums, with major entomology collections and public insect galleries. Comparable as a large-scale natural history museum that integrates insect education into broader programming.
• Senckenberg Nature Research Society & Museum (Frankfurt): Large natural history research institution and museum with substantial entomology collections. Comparable as a publicly supported natural history museum combining research credibility with public insect-focused education.

Regional players

• Pairi Daiza: Major Belgian animal park and botanical garden in Wallonia/Hainaut. Comparable as a regional ticketed wildlife/educational attraction targeting families and schools in the same Walloon market, though its focus is broader than insects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HexapodaInsectarium
• Instagraminstagram.com/hexapoda.insectarium.waremme
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/insectarium-hexapoda

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Insectarium Hexapoda