The Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, has scheduled four special events for the fall season.
All are free and family friendly and all--except one--will take place in the Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus.
The schedule:
Sunday, Sept. 25, 1 to 4 p.m.
Weird and Wonderful Wasps
Visitors will learn about the smallest fairy wasps to the "murder hornets"; what role wasps play in plant galls and figs; and how to distinguish a parasitoid from a parasite. Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum and a UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology, will discuss the Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia. A single colony of the Asian giant hornet was found and destroyed Sept. 18, 2019 in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, Canada, and a single dead hornet was found Dec. 8, 2019 in nearby Blaine, Wash. Since then, it also has been sighted-- and destroyed--in both Canada and Washington state.
Saturday, Oct. 15, 1 to 4 p.m.
Insects, Art & Culture
Visitors will learn about insects through the lenses of art and culture. This event is part of Spirit Week (Oct. 10-16) for Aggie students, parents and alumni, but all are welcome.
Saturday, Oct. 15, 11 to 11:50 a.m.
Special Talk: Plants, Insects and Art: Mary Foley Benson's Scientific Illustrations
Location: Teaching and Learning Complex (TLC) Building, 482 Hutchison Drive, UC Davis campus
This event is part of Spirit Week for Aggie students, parents and alumni, but all are welcome. Srdan Tunic, a candidate for a master's degree in art history and a Bohart associate, will be highlighting the scientific illustrations of Mary Foley Benson (1905-1992), formerly of the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Entomology and the Smithsonian Institution and who later worked for UC Davis entomologists. Much of her work appears on campus. (See research story on the artist by Malcolm Furniss)
Sunday, Nov. 6, 1 to 4 p.m.
Dragonflies Rule!
Dragonflies are described as "the ultimate predator both in the water and the air." Visitors will meet scientists and natural historians who will share information on the world of dragonflies.
The Bohart Museum is part of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Directed by Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology, it houses a worldwide collection of eight million insect specimens. It also is the home of a live "petting zoo" (Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas) and an insect-themed gift shop, which includes t-shirts, sweatshirts, jewelry, books, posters and other items. The gift shop is open all year-around and is also online.
The Bohart Museum open to the public Monday through Thursday for families, friends and individuals, but groups (such as scouts, school groups, home-school groups) must make reservations and everyone must follow the UC Davis visitor guidelines: https://campusready.ucdavis.edu/visitors.
Attached Images:
Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia. (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Agriculture)
This work, "Harlequin Bug," is by Mary Foley Benson, when she worked as a scientific illustrator for the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture.
A flameskimmer dragonfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)