From the sugarcane weevil to butterflies, dragonflies, wasps, flies, and aquatic insects, more than 52,000 specimens of high historical and scientific value now have a new home with the reopening of the Museum of Entomology and Tropical Biodiversity, now located in a building that had been unused at the Northern Botanical Garden in Río Piedras.

“Puerto Rico’s fauna is well represented in our collection, and we focus on seeking out all those species that have not yet been incorporated, because a tropical country is a treasure. And definitely, the emphasis will be on pest insects and beneficial insects that have been introduced or were already local, but we continue to grow the collection,” highlighted Dr. Rosa Amelia Franqui, director of the museum, in a telephone interview with El Nuevo Día.

Franqui, who is also a professor at the College of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (RUM), explained that the museum temporarily closed its doors in 2017 to complete the move to the new facility, the former Food Technology Laboratory building of the Agricultural Experiment Station.

“We wanted to safeguard the insect collection. Now it is stored in a system that has the modern advantages of collection cabinet design; we maximize the use of space by making it a compactable unit, and it also has the capacity to prevent humidity from entering, as well as heat or anything like that,” she added about the facility, a building constructed in the 1960s that is not at risk of flooding.

She anticipated that the museum—formally founded in 1997—could begin receiving visitors starting in the third week of January, with a special schedule from Tuesday to Friday—still to be determined—and with space available for special events on weekends.

“Then yes, we can say that we truly have a museum,” Franqui emphasized, explaining that the permanent home of the collection—started in 1910 and considered the oldest and most complete in the Caribbean—is ideal for installing mobile shelving to safeguard the insects, in addition to having laboratories and conference and exhibition rooms.

The entomologist shared that, in addition to aspiring to educate the public about insects and preserve the existing collection, one of her goals is to help train the next generation of entomologists, scientists dedicated to the study of insects.

On the research side, she anticipated that special emphasis will be placed on biological control, a strategy to contain pests using living organisms as “natural enemies,” seeking to reduce harmful populations without affecting the environment or human health, unlike chemical methods.

“Although it began at the Agricultural Experiment Station of the College of Agricultural Sciences at RUM, this museum belongs to everyone: it is a legacy for all of Puerto Rico, it is our first science museum. And implicit in its mission is expanding knowledge of our fauna as well as preserving it and inspiring respect for it in others, because it has always been my philosophy: what one can understand, one can respect, and what one can respect, one can preserve,” Franqui expressed in written statements shared on the occasion of the reopening.

Within the museum’s mission—which aspires to obtain accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM)—is the offering of educational tours, facilitating loans for research, and maintaining an active program of digitization, conservation, and study.

“This reopening marks the beginning of a new cycle of scientific and academic activities in facilities specially designed to preserve and study insects and tropical biodiversity at the University, for the enjoyment of the public. We now have exhibition halls, preservation space, and a laboratory for insect identification, a very valuable tool for science and education,” stated Professor Carlos Flores Ortega, associate dean and deputy director of the Agricultural Experiment Station.

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.