Live insects are invading Waikato Museum in a new family-friendly, hands-on exhibition opening on Friday in time for Labour Day weekend and running through the summer.
Bugs! Our Backyard Heroes is a free-entry exhibition exploring the secret world of bugs and the vital role they play in our lives.
It also brings visitors face-to-face with some real live mini-monsters, including a giant centipede, tree weta, stick insects, locusts, crickets, cockroaches and Avondale spiders.
Waikato Museum director Cherie Meecham says: "This exhibition provides visitors a unique opportunity to learn about the different native species of bugs in New Zealand and the precarious position they sometimes hold in the ecosystem."
![A macro-image of a spider from the new exhibition at Waikato Museum. Photo / Puke Ariki](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/7OTAXAFEV5DXAMQSXM7HBVEGXA.jpg?auth=c00986081895853966a5a58b7b9c55abf53c096231cef3d5cb2faf1bc2864bb1&width=16&height=10&quality=70&smart=true)