This Bug's for You! Open House at Bohart Museum Sept. 21

This bug's for you. Ever tasted a cricket? A mealworm? An earthworm?

You can if you attend the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house themed "Gobble, Gobble, Munch, Munch, Crunch: Entomophagy,” to be held from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 21 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane.

Open to the public, it's free and family friendly, said Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum and professor of entomology at UC Davis.

“The theme is entomophagy and we have some samples from various companies coming our way,” said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator. Companies providing samples include Hotlix, Exo and Chirps Chips.

"Just think of insects as terrestrial shrimp or crab," said senior museum scientist Steve Heydon. The event will include learning about entomophagy, sampling insect-based foods, button-making (“I ate a bug at the Bohart”), viewing the collection, and handling insects from the petting zoo, which includes Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas. -more-

Geoffrey Attardo: Landmark Research on Genomics of Tsetse Flies

Landmark research led by UC Davis medical entomologist-geneticist Geoffrey Attardo provides new insight into the genomics of the blood-sucking tsetse fly, an insect that transmits the parasite that causes human and animal trypanosomiasis.

In humans, the disease is commonly known as sleeping sickness: the parasite invades the central nervous system and disrupts the sleep cycle. If not treated, the disease can result in progressive mental deterioration, coma, systemic organ failure and death.

The newly published research in the journal Genome Biology compares and analyzes the genomes of six species of tsetse flies and could lead to better insights into disease prevention and control. “It was a behemoth project, spanning six to seven years,” said Attardo, an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology and Nematology. “This project represents the combined efforts of a consortium of 56 researchers throughout the United States, Europe, Africa and China.” -more-

Fall Seminars Announced

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology will launch its fall quarter seminars on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Coordinated by assistant professor and community ecologist Rachel Vannette, the seminars will take place at 4:10 p.m., every Wednesday in Room 122 of Briggs Hall except on Nov. 20 (no seminar due to the Entomological Society of America meeting in St. Louis, Mo).

First to speak will be James Nieh, professor, Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, Department of Biological Sciences, UC San Diego. His topic is "Animal Information Warfare: How Sophisticated Communication May Arise from the Race to Find an Advantage in a Deadly Game Between Honey Bees and their Predators." Research in the Nieh lab focuses on how natural and man-made stressors affect the biology of and cognitively sophisticated behaviors exhibited by bees. Associate professor Brian Johnson will host the speaker.  -more-

Who's Who of Spencer Award Winners, American Chemical Society: Casida, Hammock, Sparks

There's not much of a generation gap when it comes to recipients of the prestigious Kenneth A. Spencer Award of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Thomas Sparks, the first graduate student of UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock, is the 2019 recipient, following in the generational footsteps of Hammock, his major professor at UC Riverside and UC Davis; and Hammock's major professor, the late John Casidaof UC Berkeley.

Sparks accepted the award at the recent ACS meeting in San Diego. Hammock received the Spencer award in 1993, and Casida in 1978. -more-

Celebration of Life for Robbin Thorp Set Friday, Oct. 11 in Putah Creek Lodge

A celebration of life for Robbin Thorp, a global and legendary authority on bees and a distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, will take place from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 11 in the Putah Creek Lodge, located on Putah Creek Lodge Drive, southwest section of the UC Davis Arboretum.

Lynn Kimsey (lskimsey@ucdavis.edu), director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and UC Davis professor of entomology, is coordinating the event, with Professor Neal Williams (nmwilliams@ucdavis.edu) assisting.

Thorp, 85, passed away Friday, June 7 at this home in Davis. He would have been 86 on Aug. 26.

A member of the UC Davis entomology faculty for 30 years, from 1964-1994, he achieved emeritus status in 1994 but continued to engage in research, teaching and public service until a few weeks before his death.

A tireless advocate of pollinator species protection and conservation, he was known for his expertise, dedication and passion in protecting native pollinators, especially bumble bees, and for his teaching, research and public service. He was an authority on pollination ecology, ecology and systematics of honey bees, bumble bees, vernal pool bees, conservation of bees, native bees and crop pollination, and bees of urban gardens and agricultural landscapes.

“Robbin's scientific achievements during his retirement rival the typical career productivity of many other academic scientists,” said Steve Nadler, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. “His contributions in support of understanding bee biodiversity and systematics are a true scientific legacy.” -see obituary-

Elvira Galvan Hack: 'Paying It Forward'

(Editor's Note: Elvira Galvan Hack, student academic advisor for the animal biology major, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will be honored at the UC Davis Staff Assembly's Citation for Excellence Program on Friday, Sept. 6 on the Moss Patio, Walter A. Buehler Alumni Center.)

As a child growing up in Dixon, she remembers picking bell peppers and sorting tomatoes with her farmworker-parents and siblings. They also labored in fruit-cutting sheds in nearby Winters.

“I was the seventh of eight children,” related Elvira Galvan Hack, who was born in Arizona but moved to Dixon at age 4. “My mother stayed home with us during the school year, but in the summer, starting when I was in the fifth grade, I and all my siblings and my mom would work in the fields.”

“My parents, Eluterio and Lilia Galvan, made sure that we children grew up happy and healthy and in a loving home filled with family traditions,” Elvira said. “We were—and still are—a close-knit family.” -more-

Jessica Gillung Wins Major ESA Award

Jessica Gillung, who received her doctorate in entomology from UC Davis  and is now a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University, has won the Snodgrass Memorial Research Award from the Entomological Society of America (ESA) for her landmark dissertation on spider flies.

The award, given by ESA's Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity Section, recognizes outstanding research by a doctoral student who has completed a research thesis or dissertation in arthropod morphology, systematics, taxonomy, or evolution. The prize is a $500 cash award and an invited talk at ESA. She'll speak on "Unraveling the Evolution of Spider flies (Diptera, Acroceridae): Progress and Possibilities" at the ESA's annual meeting, set Nov. 17-20 in St. Louis, Mo.

Gillung is the first UC Davis student to receive the award, which was first presented in 1992. Her dissertation, “Systematics and Phylogenomics of Spider Flies (Diptera, Acroceridae),” focused on the evolution, conservation, biology, and taxonomy of spider flies, a group of spider natural enemies. -more-

Water Bear Sculpture to Grace Bohart Museum Entrance

A water bear or tardigrade sculpture may soon grace the entrance to the Bohart Museum of Entomology.

"I've been in touch with the sculptor Solomon Bassoff (Faducciart) in Roseville," said Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum and professor of entomology at UC Davis. "He did the caterpillar in the Davis Central Park. I'm thinking of a concrete sculpture roughly 4 feet by eight feet."

"The reason for this is that we have one of the world's largest tardigrade collections, which was compiled by Steve Heydon's predecessor, Bob Schuster," she said. "Tardigrades are really popular with kids in part because of their representation in the movies Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, Star Trek and Family Guy." -more-

UC Davis Class on Varroa Mites Set Oct. 13

If you're a beekeeper, you not only keep bees in your hive, but unfortunately, varroa mites. This major pest of honey bees is considered Public Enemy No. 1 in the beekeeping world.

How can you monitor, mitigate and manage them?

Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño and her lab are hosting a short course on "Managing Varroa" from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 13 at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, University of California, Davis.

"Current beekeeping challenges call for all beekeepers to have a solid understanding of varroa mite biology and management approaches," said Niño, in describing the course. "We will dive deeper into understanding varroa biology and will devote majority of the time to discussing pros and cons of various means to monitor, mitigate, and manage this crucial honey bee pest."

The course, limited to 20 participants, will cover varroa biology, treatment options and chemical-free options.  Participants are to bring their bee veil or suit. The $200 registration fee covers the cost of course materials, lunch and refreshments. The last day to register is Monday, Oct. 7. -more-

UC Davis Entomology Ranked Among Best in the World

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is one of the best in the world, according to information released today (April 3, 2017) by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

The rankings show UC Davis as No. 7 globally, scoring 89.88 of a possible 100. Of the top 10, two are in California. UC Riverside is ranked as No. 2.

Performance indicators are grouped into five areas: Teaching (the learning environment); research (volume, income and reputation); citations (research influence); international outlook (staff students and research) and industry outcome (knowledge transfer). -more-

In the Spotlight

• Department News
• Department Fall Seminars
• UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day
• UC Davis Museum Biodiversity Day video on YouTube. 
• UC Davis Storer Lectures, 2019-2020
• Why War on Cancer Is Winnable: Jay Rosenheim
• Bohart Museum Open Houses
• UC Davis Entomology Seminars Posted on UCTV
• Order a EGSA T-Shirt!
• Watch UC Davis Bee Symposium Presentations on YouTube
• Eric Grissell: Giving Back
• History of Our Bee Garden
• 'I Wanna Be an Entomologist' by Heather Wilson

Blogs, Books, and Other Connections

• Rick Karban's Plant Communication Book
• Alex Wild's Compound Eye Blog: Some of Best Nature/Science Photographs
• UC Davis Department of Entomology (Facebook)
• Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility (Facebook)
• Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven (Facebook)
• E.L. Niño Bee Lab (Facebook)
• Bug Squad blog, updated Monday through Friday (Kathy Keatley Garvey)
• Robbin Thorp Co-Author of California Bees and Blooms
• Robbin Thorp Co-Author of Bumble Bees of North America
• Apiary newsletter, from the UC apiaries (Elina L. Niño)
• Apiary newsletter, from the UC apiaries (archived, Eric Mussen)
  
• New Ant Book (free): Photos by Alex Wild
• Insect Note Cards, Benefitting UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center

Entomology News on the UC ANR Blog System 

Click for More Department News, April 2013 and earlier