Insects, Arachnids and Myriapods
The Division of Insects covers insects, arachnids (spiders and their relatives), and myriapods (millipedes, centipedes, and their relatives). Our curators and collection management staff work together closely to maintain a world-class collection of more than 12 million specimens, over half the Museum's holdings.
The curators have active research programs, working with specimens from around the world, and actively build and curate collections, train graduate and undergraduate students, develop exhibits and other public programs, and serve the diverse needs of the public and scientific communities. Members of the professional staff build, maintain, and improve the collections and associated collection database and participate actively in exhibit development, public programs, and other outreach activities. Volunteers in Insects help with many aspects of collection management and research, including sorting new samples and identifying specimens; entering specimen or loan data into our database; organizing and caring for parts of the collection, and photographing specimens.
History
Discover the history of the Insect Collections
Use of the Collection
Some items in the Field Museum collections are available to loan for exhibition, research, or education in support of our mission: fighting climate change, preserving biodiversity, celebrating cultures, and championing science.
Research in Insects
Explore the Center's researchers and their work.
