The Bohart Museum of Entomology will move its interactive exhibits to the grounds of Briggs Hall during the annual UC Davis Picnic Day on April 18. The museum’s headquarters in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building will be closed for the event, with staff hosting activities at Briggs Hall from 1 to 4 p.m.
The event is part of a broader effort to engage the public with entomology and outreach. The museum’s pop-up tent will allow visitors to interact with live insects such as Madagascar hissing cockroaches and walking sticks, as well as participate in activities like roach races, maggot art, pollinator displays, origami insect crafting, and an insect-net game where participants can win prizes by netting paper butterflies.
Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum, said: “This is the one time (UC Davis Picnic Day) when we are physically united with the department on campus for outreach. Our department, grads and undergrads and staff simply cannot host two different locations on Picnic Day.”
The museum has announced upcoming outreach events including “Buzz Words: Insects in Literature” on May 16 from 1 to 4 p.m., and “Moth Night” scheduled for July 18 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. All events are free and open to families. Regular walk-in hours are also available Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Founded in 1946 by professor Richard Bohart, the museum houses eight million insect specimens and maintains a live petting zoo along with an insect-themed gift shop. It holds one of North America’s largest collections of insects. Jason Bond serves as director of the Bohart Museum.
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University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources has been recognized for linking research directly with community needs according to its official website, manages Cooperative Extension services within the University system according to its official website, conducts over thirty-three thousand educational events annually, and engages more than eighteen thousand volunteers each year according to its official website.
