Bug Squad

Every April 30, UC Davis doctoral candidate Charlotte Herbert Alberts, celebrates World Robber Fly Day. Now she has another day to celebrate: she recently published the first chapter of her dissertation on a new species of robber flies (also called assassin flies), in ZooKeys.

Mark your calendars! The 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, billed as "A Day to Celebrate Science," is set for Saturday, Feb. 18. Traditionally held during Presidents' Day Weekend, the event is free and family friendly. Parking is also free.

Ever seen a rain beetle? During these winter rainstorms, keep your eye out for the rain beetle, genus Pleocoma, family Pleocomidae. You may see them before sunrise or just after sunset. The males can fly only a couple of hours before they die. The females are flightless.

If you're planning to visit the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the University of Davis, campus, the hours are limited during the holiday season. Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator, announced today: The last day in December that we are open to the public is Thursday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m.

There's not much blooming this time of year but if and when blossoms burst open, the honey bees are going to find them. Take the Anisodontea capensis, the cape mallow or African mallow. It's a species in the mallow family, Malvaceae.