Editor’s note: The post originally appeared on the Royal Alberta Museum blog in March 2026. The image above is the finished, cleaned ant colony. Image courtesy of the Royal Alberta Museum.
Written by: Camilla Leurini, Live Animals Assistant
The Bug Gallery at the Royal Alberta Museum is one of those rare places where time seems to slow down. Visitors of all ages and backgrounds wander through, leaning close to the glass, captivated by the small but mighty creatures going about their lives. You can watch paper wasps build their nests without worrying about a sting. You can observe cockroaches with the comforting knowledge that they are definitely not in your kitchen. But one exhibit consistently draws a crowd: the ant chambers.
At first glance, the ants you see while camping or crossing your backyard might not seem remarkable. Yet those surface wanderers are only the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the soil lies a hidden world—the queen, the eggs, the larvae, the pupae—all part of a complex and thriving colony. Our ant exhibition gives visitors a rare opportunity to peer into that underground world.
The display includes eight nest units made of aerated concrete, each with one glass-facing side that allows guests to observe the colony’s daily life. You can see ants moving larvae, collecting seeds and maintaining their carefully organized society. Over time, however, the ants began to redecorate.
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