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| The June bug, aka fig beetle, will take the spotlight at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's special opening on Sunday, June 5. (Photo by Andrew Richards) |
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DAVIS--June is bustin’ out all over—and bugs, too—at the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
The Bohart Museum has scheduled a special weekend open house, themed “June Bugs,” from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 5. The event, free and open to the public, is the last in a series of six special weekend openings held since Jan. 23. The Bohart is located on the UC Davis campus at 1124 Academic Surge, California Drive.
Among the insects featured will be a “June bug,” also known as a fig beetle (Cotinus mutabilis).
“The larvae feed on decaying fruit/plant material and they can be common in compost piles in the central and southern states and southwestern United States in general,” said Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum and professor of entomology at UC Davis.
The adults, green and about 1.25 inches long, feed on ripe fruit, particularly figs, she said. They are part of more than seven million insect specimens housed in the museum and collected worldwide.
In addition, the museum features a “live petting zoo,” especially popular among children. Visitors can hold such insects as Madagascar hissing cockroaches and walking sticks.
Also popular are the Bohart’s new public microscope on display for folks to examine insects; and a gift shop, where visitors can purchase such items as t-shirts, sweatshirts, posters, insect nets, jewelry and insect candy.
The Bohart administrative staff initiated the special weekend openings to accommodate families and other area residents unable to visit the Bohart Museum during regular visiting hours, Mondays through Thursdays. The museum’s regular hours are from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. It is closed on Fridays and on major holidays. Admission is free.
The special weekend openings featured “Butterflies” on Jan. 23, “Butterflies”; “Meet the Beetles on Feb. 26; “The Ants Go Marching On” on March 13; UC Davis Picnic Day on April 16; and “Moth-er’s Day (spotlight on moths) on May 7.
The next open house is expected to be in October.
The R. M. Bohart Museum of Entomology, founded in 1946 by noted entomologist Richard M. Bohart, is dedicated to teaching, research and service. The museum houses the seventh largest insect collection in North America, and is also the home of the California Insect Survey, a storehouse of the insect biodiversity.
More information is available on the Bohart website or by contacting Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator at tabyang@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-9464. Due to limited space, group tours will not be booked during the weekend hours.
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
