Follow me to the – Cité des Insectes

What is your job, your activity?

Regine: We manage a museum La Cité des Insectes, in Nedde, which presents more than 15,000 specimens from all over the world, a cabinet of curiosities, very vast and absolutely splendid gardens, exhibitions, a store and many animations in season around the world of insects. The city of insects is a very natural place, where our customers can live a ludic, instructive experience and a moment of discovery and escape in family. Every day, we have to take care of the vivariums with a dozen exotic and European species, maintain and feed the insects, monitor the nurseries where every day we have new births.
Our missions are varied: awareness of the essential role of insects, educational and pedagogical missions with schools, cultural and scientific missions to protect our environments and species in a sustainable manner.
In Europe, we have a negative vision of the insect, by ignorance, by fear, and we tend to destroy what we fear. It is therefore necessary to sensitize all the public, adults and children. We need to get back in touch with nature, to get closer to it to get to know it better and develop sustainable behaviors.

Jim: Insects are a part of nature that people know little about. Talking about them helps to overcome fears. These little critters are just as important as plants, even if they are less visible!

How long have you been living at Lake Vassiviere? Why this choice, tell me about your background:

Jim: We had been living in London for 10 years. I was a computer engineer, but art, creation, especially music, and nature were also present in my life. We had been looking for a place in England for several years to present to the public the importance of nature and insects from the point of view of the naturalist and the artist. Not finding anything in England and Régine being French, I searched on the internet to find a place in France. A farm was for sale in Limousin. We took a weekend to visit it, in September 2005. There was a lot of fog on the road between Limoges and Eymoutiers, but as we approached the plateau and Nedde, the sun came out and revealed the magic of the landscape. As soon as the visit started, we fell in love with the site. Back in London, we talked a lot about it and we wanted to make a second visit in October, and a third one in November to be sure of our choice… these visits confirmed the potential of the place and our wish to embark on this great adventure. We definitely settled in March 2006.

Régine: I studied accounting, then I was a product manager for 14 years in a company that manufactured refillable perfume sprays in Paris. I have always had a desire to work in a sustainable manner. I met Jim and then moved to London where I studied Fine Art for 5 years. I have worked as a visual artist with numerous exhibitions in England and other European countries, and have also taught fine art in schools and leisure centers.

Since the 90s I had a project in mind, around art and nature. I was looking for a place to settle down, but I couldn’t find anything in England. I was very busy at that time of my life, especially with exhibitions… Jim found this farm in Limousin on the internet, but at first I didn’t see the link with my project. I needed a sign to take the step! Jim was able to convince me to come and visit and for the record he found a toy in the shape of a cicada in front of our door! So I agreed to come to France and discover the place to see if it would suit my project. It was love at first sight, for the region, the property, the garden… Everything I had in mind took shape, everything became possible. The three visits confirmed our feelings and we decided to buy the farm and leave London for the Limousin.