When you sit down to share a meal with family and friends, you might not be thinking the pests that want their share.
But you should.
And if you attend the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, May 28 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus, you can learn more about them.
The event, free and open to the public, is themed “Bugs in Ag: What Is Eating Our Crops and What Is Eating Them?”
Cooperative Extension specialist Ian Grettenberger, a member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty, will discuss pests of rice and alfalfa and other agricultural crops, and also will cover such beneficial insects as lady beetles, aka ladybugs. He and his postdoctoral fellow Buddhi Achhami will field questions.
Grettenberger plans to feature a few videos of the pests and their natural enemies and display live insects from alfalfa crops, as well as tadpole shrimp. “We plan to talk broadly about the pests that eat our crops and the natural enemies that help protect them,” Grettenberger said.
The family arts and crafts activity will be making tadpole shrimp hats for folks to take home.
Meanwhile, you've probably seen lady beetles, aka ladybugs, devouring aphids, and maybe an assassin bug spearing an insect.
You'll learn more about them at the Bohart open house. It's the home of a worldwide collection of eight million insect specimens. It also has a live "petting zoo," comprised of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas, and an insect-themed gift shop.
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