Family-Friendly Open House: UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology

DAVIS, CA –By Kathy Keatley Garvey:

"Urban Entomology" will set the theme for the next open house at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus, The event is set for 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 18. It's free and family friendly.

"The focus is urban entomology," said director Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis professor of entomology. "We'll have out examples of all the wonderful household pests/friends and garden pests, along with the kinds of things they inspect restaurants for."

Scores of displays, and a family arts and crafts activity are planned.

The Bohart Museum, home of nearly eight million insect specimens, is the seventh largest insect collection in North America and houses the California Insect Survey, a storehouse of insect biodiversity.

In addition, the Bohart features a live "petting zoo," comprised of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks, tarantulas and praying mantids; and a year-around gift shop, which is stocked with T-shirts, sweatshirts, books, jewelry, posters, insect-collecting equipment and insect-themed candy.

Public weekend hours for the academic year 2018-2019 are:

• Sunday, Nov. 18, from 1 to 4 p.m.: "Bring It Home: Urban Entomology"
• Saturday, Jan. 12, from 1 to 4 p.m.: "Time's Fun When You're Studying Flies"
• Saturday, Feb. 16, times vary: (campuswide) Biodiversity Museum Day
• Saturday, March 9, 1 to 4 p.m., "Eight-Legged Wonders"
• Saturday, April 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., (campuswide) UC Davis Picnic Day

The Bohart Museum's regular hours are from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. It is closed to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and on major holidays. Admission is free. More information on the Bohart Museum is available on the website at http://bohart.ucdavis.edu.

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PHOTO: A praying mantis, Stagmomantis libata, eating a hover fly. Friends and foes in the garden and home will set the theme for the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Nov. 18. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)