This Bug's for You--And That One, Too!

This bug's for you.

And this one, too.

And that one over there!

When UC Davis employees and their offspring visited the Bohart Museum of Entomology during the recent "Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work" Day, reactions ranged from awe to "wow!"

They held walking sticks (stick insects), Madagascar hissing cockroaches and tomato hornworms. Two youngsters held  tarantulas. And all checked out the butterfly and beetle specimens.

One little girl, Olivia Bingen, 4, who was there with her father, Steve Bingen of the UC Davis Department of Music, was dressed in pink and asked the Bohart scientists if they had any pink butterflies.

"She likes pink," her father said. She also likes to play the violin.

The Bohart Museum of Entomology, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, UC Davis campus, houses a global collection of nearly eight million insect specimens. It also includes a gift shop and a live “petting zoo,” comprised of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas.

The museum, founded in 1946 by the late Richard M. Bohart and now directed by Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis professor of entomology, is open to the public from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, except on holidays. Admission is free.

Special weekend events, free and family friendly, are held throughout the year. The next weekend event is Moth Night from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3. Blacklighting will take place just outside the museum. Inside, the attendees will visit the museum's displays and, outside, they will see what insects are attracted to the black-lighted white sheets.

Among those scheduled to host Moth Night are John "Moth Man" DeBenedictis; senior museum scientist Steve Heydon; entomologist Jeff Smith, who curates the Lepitopdera (butterflies and moths) section of the Bohart; and Greg Kareofelas, Bohart associate and naturalist.


By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Author - Communications specialist

Attached Images:

UC Davis entomology student and Bohart associate Lohit Garikipati shows butterfly specimens to Olivia Bingen, 4, and her father, Steve Bingen of the UC Davis Department of Music. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis entomology student and Bohart associate Lohit Garikipati shows butterfly specimens to Olivia Bingen, 4, and her father, Steve Bingen of the UC Davis Department of Music. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It tickles! Camilla Fuerte, 7,  reacts to a tarantula as her brother Joel Fuerte, 10, takes it all in stride. They are the children of Gabby Sanchez Fuerte of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering. In the foreground is senior museum scientist Steve Heydon of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It tickles! Camilla Fuerte, 7, reacts to a tarantula as her brother Joel Fuerte, 10, takes it all in stride. They are the children of Gabby Sanchez Fuerte of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering. In the foreground is senior museum scientist Steve Heydon of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ilyssa Boco, first-year entomology student at UC Davis, shows stick insects to Camellia Aranda, 8, and her sister, Isabella, 4. Their mother, Laura Aranda, works with the administrative Orange Cluster, which serves the Department of Political Science, and Department of Communication and Linguistics. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ilyssa Boco, first-year entomology student at UC Davis, shows stick insects to Camellia Aranda, 8, and her sister, Isabella, 4. Their mother, Laura Aranda, works with the administrative Orange Cluster, which serves the Department of Political Science, and Department of Communication and Linguistics. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ximena Aranda, 6, and her sister, Isabella, 3, check out the insect specimens at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Their mother, Laura Aranda, works with the administrative Orange Cluster, which serves the UC Davis Department of Political Science and the Department of Communication and Linguistics. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ximena Aranda, 6, and her sister, Isabella, 3, check out the insect specimens at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Their mother, Laura Aranda, works with the administrative Orange Cluster, which serves the UC Davis Department of Political Science and the Department of Communication and Linguistics. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bohart associate and UC Davis graduate Emma Cluff shows tomato hornworms (Manduca quinquemaculata) to Isabella Aranda, 3, and her sister Ximena Aranda, 6. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bohart associate and UC Davis graduate Emma Cluff shows tomato hornworms (Manduca quinquemaculata) to Isabella Aranda, 3, and her sister Ximena Aranda, 6. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Katie Eting, 6,  wearing a shirt,

Katie Eting, 6, wearing a shirt, "Girls Are Heroes" and her sister, Lily Eting, wearing "Every Day is Caturday," check out stick insects with their mother and UC Davis employee, Jennifer Eting (center) and Ilyssa Boco (far left), first-year entomology student. In back is Tabatha Yang, the Bohart Museum's education and outreach coordinator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

McKenzie Kennedy, 8, granddaughter of UC Davis employee Sherly Blackshire, proudly holds a stick insect. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

McKenzie Kennedy, 8, granddaughter of UC Davis employee Sherly Blackshire, proudly holds a stick insect. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Katie Eting, 6, and her mother Jennifer Eting learn about the insect specimens at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Katie Eting, 6, and her mother Jennifer Eting learn about the insect specimens at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

C. J. Babowal (center), 5, delights in seeing a stick insect on the arm of his brother, Roger Babowal, 9. At left is Katie Eting,6. The boys' mother, Crystal Babowal, works in UC Davis Continuing Education. Katie's mother, Jennifer Eting, works in Finance Operations and Administration. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

C. J. Babowal (center), 5, delights in seeing a stick insect on the arm of his brother, Roger Babowal, 9. At left is Katie Eting,6. The boys' mother, Crystal Babowal, works in UC Davis Continuing Education. Katie's mother, Jennifer Eting, works in Finance Operations and Administration. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Camellia Aranda (foreground) likes a Madagascar hissing cockroach. In the background, Julianna “Ju Ju” Smith, 4, isn't so sure, as she hides behind the  her father, Justin Smith of Animal Science. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Camellia Aranda (foreground) likes a Madagascar hissing cockroach. In the background, Julianna “Ju Ju” Smith, 4, isn't so sure, as she hides behind the her father, Justin Smith of Animal Science. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Simon Dvorak, who works with UC Davis Academic Technology Services, visited the Bohart Museum of Entomology with his son Max, 7. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Simon Dvorak, who works with UC Davis Academic Technology Services, visited the Bohart Museum of Entomology with his son Max, 7. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)