Since its foundation, the museum has had an extensive entomological collection, which came into its possession through donations, bequests and purchases. Today it comprises more than 1,300 insect boxes with approximately 200,000 specimens. Seven orders of insects are represented to a noteworthy extent. The main focus is butterflies (Lepidoptera), followed by beetles (Coleoptera). The other orders of insects make up only a small part of the collection compared to these two orders, including hymenopterans, dipterans, bugs, cicadas and dragonflies. In addition, historical insect boxes on the biology and ecology of pests, for example, are integrated into the collection. Also noteworthy is the extensive collection of butterfly caterpillars and pupae, some of which have been hand-coloured to accurately document their natural colouring.
Of particular importance are the collections of local fauna, including numerous historical specimens from Magdeburg and the surrounding area, the Harz foreland and the Harz mountains, which can be traced back to the collections of well-known entomologists such as Emil Gustav Bornemann (Lepidoptera), Walter Borchert (Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Heteroptera, Auchenorrhyncha) or Georg Polentz (Heteroptera). These parts of the collection are in good scientific condition.
