The Insectarium opened on June 13, 2008.[2] In 2009, it was awarded the Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Science Center.[4]
Part of the Audubon Nature Institute complex, it was located on the first floor of the U.S. Custom House Federal Building. With more than 50 live exhibits and numerous multimedia elements, the 23,000-square-foot (2,100 m2) facility was the largest free-standing American museum dedicated to insects.[1]
In September 2020, the Audubon Nature Institute announced the temporary closure of the Insectarium, owing to revenue shortages caused by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Some of the Insectarium's exhibits will be relocated to space within the Aquarium.[3]