Insect Market on Wageningen Campus

Visitors will be able to discover the work of Wageningen insect researchers and learn why insects are indispensable. They play a major role in pollination, food production, biodiversity and a healthy living environment.

There will be plenty to see and do at the market. Street performers will be there, visitors can sample insect snacks, and artists will be selling insect-inspired works. There will also be stands run by associations and companies connected with insects. For children, there will be insect story readings, a craft corner, and face painting so they can be transformed into their favourite insect. 

During the market, the Laboratory of Entomology will also showcase the wide range of research carried out in Wageningen. Researchers will, for example, talk about the remarkable relationship between insects and plants, natural ways of controlling pests, and insects that can transmit diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Attention will also be given to insects as food and animal feed.

During guided tours of the Radix building, visitors will get a behind-the-scenes look at the research. In the laboratories, they will be able to see how insects are reared and how researchers study their behaviour and movement.

The insect market is one of the activities through which the laboratory is marking a century of insect research in Wageningen. If the weather is bad, part of the programme will be moved indoors.

At Museum De Casteelse Poort in Wageningen, the exhibition The Great Importance of Small Creatures will also be on display until 28 June 2026, focusing on 100 years of insect research in Wageningen.