Bee Mimics!
Did you know that some moths mimic bees?
When the Bohart Museum of Entomology hosts its free and family friendly open house from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 15 on "The Bees and Their Mimics"--the program will be coordinated by UC Davis doctoral candidates Lexie Martin and Abigail Lehner--you'll see flies mimicking bees and much, much more!
If you step over to Lepidoptera collection, curator Jeff Smith and fellow Bohart associate Greg Kareoelas, will show you some moths that mimic bees.
"Greg and I will have the aisle of large moths open for browsing and conversation--silk moths, sphingids, tiger moths, etc., and will highlight many of those that are such great mimics of bees and wasps."
Meanwhile, Smith shared a few images with us from the Moth Photographers Group website (see collage)
The open house will include games, coloring sheets and hands-on activities. Guests can ask questions one-on-one with the entomologists.
You also can get acquainted with stick insects, aka walking sticks, and Madagascar hissing cockroaches from the Bohart's live petting zoo.
The Bohart Museum is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. Founded in 1946, it now houses a global collection of some eight million terrestrial and freshwater arthropods; a live petting zoo; and an insect-themed gift shop.
The Bohart Museum is the seventh largest insect collection in North America. Director of the museum is Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair of Systemics, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and the executive associate dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES).
Note that the Bohart Museum will be closed Thanksgiving week (Monday-Friday, Nov. 24-28), and during winter break (Monday, Dec. 22, 2025- Friday, Jan. 2, 2026). For more information, access the website or email bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.
Cover image: UC Davis doctoral candidate Lexie Martin answering questions about bees at a recent Bohart Museum of Entomology open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)