Some folks call them "bumble bees," but they're not. In size, the female Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) resembles a bumble bee, but certainly not in color. The female Valley carpenter is solid black with metallic wings.
Judge: "Will the defendant please rise?" The defendant, a praying mantis--a male Stragmomantis limbata--rises solemnly, stretching his spiked forelegs.
Ever seen a mantidfly, also called a mantisfly? Bohart Museum of Entomology associate John De Benedictis, aka "Moth Man," brought a mantidfly, an insect that's parasitic to spiders, to the museum on Tuesday.
It was "b-day" today at The Bohart Museum of Entomology in honor of longtime Bohart associate Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis. Bohart associates sang "Happy Birthday" and cheered when he blew out a candle on the dessert plate.
