The Bohart Museum of Entomology will hold an open house themed “Eight-Legged Encounters” from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 15 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building at the UC Davis campus, according to a March 13 announcement. The event is free and open to families, inviting visitors to bring images of spiders for identification by arachnid specialists.
The open house aims to educate the public about spiders and other arachnids, helping attendees distinguish between different arthropods based on their number of legs. Adult arachnids have eight legs attached to the cephalothorax, while adult insects have six legs attached to their thorax. This distinction is a key feature separating spiders from other creatures such as centipedes.
Visitors will be able to view live scorpions, tarantulas, vinegaroons, whip spiders, and trapdoor spiders. Activities include learning how spiders spin silk, observing arachnid feeding sessions, using microscopes for closer examination, and crafting model clay arachnids. Co-chairs Emma “Em” Jochim and Felix Duley said that the museum’s petting zoo—featuring Madagascar hissing cockroaches and stick insects—will also be available during the event.
Professor Jason Bond serves as director of the Bohart Museum. He is also the Evert and Marion Schindler Endowed Chair of Systematics in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, executive associate dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis, and president of the American Arachnological Association (AAS). The AAS website offers additional resources for those interested in learning more about spiders or seeking answers to related questions.
The Bohart Museum houses approximately eight million specimens along with a live petting zoo and an insect-themed gift shop. More information can be found on its website or by contacting bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.
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