About the Station

The Queen’s University Biological Station (QUBS) is a multi-use facility that services both research and teaching. The station comprises several buildings on a peninsula that juts into Lake Opinicon.

The buildings include the main lodge, the Brown lab (teaching and collections), the tri-lab (fish research), the reptile lab and the boathouse. Instructor and student cabins encircle these buildings.

The location of the QUBS is ideal as it is walking distance to several ideal collecting habitats: field habitats, mixed hardwood forests, marsh habitat and the lake itself.

Leisure Activities

The idyllic location of the QUBS means that activities such as swimming and canoeing are encouraged. Students may also hike and/or jog along the station roads. The QUBS offers many spots for quiet reflection,  devouring a good book, listening to music or surfing the interweb using the tubes.  For more information about QUBS click here.

What to Bring

• old clothing
• hiking boots (rubber boots if you have them)
• hat
• sleeping bag, sheets and pillow
• sunscreen and insect repellant
• rain gear
• reusable water bottle
• small note book
• pencils, fine-tipped black ink pens (for insect labels)
• pocket knife.
• flashlight and/or headlamp
• dissecting kit
• digital camera (DSLR preferred) and accessories
• laptop and various accessories

Course Work

Students are required to give a 20 minute seminar on an assigned topic about general insect morphology and biology. These presentations are designed to give other students the background knowledge for the course.  During the course the the majority of the time will be spent on creating a pinned insect collection. Students will have the choice of submitting a research paper of their choice or a species blog, either to be submitted six weeks after the course is over.  Examples of these can be found here.

• Participation 10%
• Seminars 15%
• Research Paper or Species Blog 25%
• Insect Collection 35%
• Image Collection 15%