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Bohart Museum Open House: A Monarch State of Mind
Published on: November 10, 2023

It was a monarch state of mind...

Western monarchs are now settling in their overwintering sites along coastal California, but the iconic butterflies showed up in force at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's recent open house--in the form of specimens, photographs, books, maps and displays.

Some 650 visitors arrived to talk to the scientists, see the displays, and take home native milkweed seed packets, provided by community ecologist Louie Yang, professor of entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT-NEM). Yang shared seeds of narrow-leafed milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis.

Statistics show that the overwintering population of western monarchs along coastal California has declined by more than 99 percent since the 1980s, according to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, but the population has been showing a mini-boom in recent years. Scientists blame habitat destruction, pesticide use, and climate change as the primary causes of the decline.

Scientists participating in the open house were:

  • UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Art Shapiro of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, who has studied butterfly populations in central California since 1972 and maintains a research website, Art's Butterfly World.

  • UC Davis emeritus professor Hugh Dingle, a worldwide authority on animal migration, including monarchs.  He is the author of Migration: The Biology of Life on the Move (Oxford University Press), a sequel to the first edition published in 1996. (See news story on the ENT-NEM website.)

  • UC Davis professor Louie Yang, who does research on monarchs and milkweed and has been featured nationally. (See news story about his work.)

  • UC Davis professor Elizabeth Crone of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, formerly of Tufts University, who researches monarchs. (See news story about the declining monarch population on the ENT-NEM website.)

In addition, the Bohart Museum showcased monarch photography by Larry Snyder of Davis and Kathy Keatley Garvey of ENT-NEM. 

Yang and Crone were among the 12 nationally invited scientists who delivered presentations during the two-day Monarch Butterfly Summit, held last year at the Capitol in Washington D.C. and organized by Sen. Jeffrey Merkley of Oregon, During that summit, the Department of the Interior announced a $1 million award to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Monarch Butterfly and Pollinators Conservation Fund, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a Pollinator Conservation Center. (See news story)

In another project, Yang organized and led a three-year study of wild monarch butterflies and milkweed in rural Davis. The project, funded by two of Yang's National Science Foundation grants, involved UC Davis, Davis Senior High School and the Center for Land-based Learning, Woodland. The 135-member team included 107 high school students, a K-12 teacher, 18 UC Davis undergraduates, three graduate students and two postgraduate researchers. 

"This study collected a high-resolution temporal dataset on milkweed-monarch interactions during the three years prior to the precipitous single-year population decline of western monarchs in 2018,” Yang said. From 2015 through 2017, the  team monitored the interactions of monarchs, Danaus plexippus, on narrow-leafed milkweed, A. fascicularis, planted in December 2013 on city-owned property. 

The Yang team published the results, “Different Factors Limit Early- and Late-Season Windows of Opportunity for Monarch Development,” in the journal  Ecology and Evolution. 

“This study has three key findings,” Yang related. “First, we documented early and late seasonal windows of opportunity in the wild, migratory western monarch population. Second, our data suggest that early and late seasonal windows were constrained by different factors. Third, climatic and microclimatic variation had a strong effect on the timing and importance of multiple factors affecting monarch development. Broadly, we hope that this study contributes to a more temporally detailed understanding of the complex factors that contribute to year-to-year variation in monarch breeding success.”  (See news story on ENT-NEM website)

In February of 2022, Yang appeared on Science Friday, National Public Radio, in an interview titled "How Long Will California's Butterfly Boom Last?"

Hugh Dingle. Professor Dingle, an internationally known expert on animal migration, has researched animal migration for some 50 years. In the last two decades, he has focused on monarch butterflies.  National Geographic featured him in its cover story on “Great Migrations” in November 2010.  LiveScience interviewed him for its November 2010 piece on “Why Do Animals Migrate?” 

Dingle, a resident of Marin County, responded to a recent front-page article in a Marin County paper about the California ban on tropical milkweed. Banning tropical milkweed, A. curassavica will NOT save the monarch, Dingle emailed the reporter. In fact, he said, the ban will "essentially have zero effect on monarchs" and "no one should rush out and pull out their tropical milkweed as it would be a waste of time and effort. Nurseries should also be able to continue to sell it." The plant has been in California for more than 100 years.

Dingle says:

  1. "There is not enough tropical milkweed planted to have much influence (see the amount of A. syriaca and A. fascicularis throughout the American West not to mention various other species like A. erosa, cordifolia, californica, etc.) Yes, there are parasites on A. curassavica as there are on ALL milkweeds."

  2. "There are populations of monarchs that are doing just fine feeding exclusively on A. curassavica (e.g. on many Pacific Islands, such as Guam where I have studied them."

  3. "Migration and the diapause that accompanies it in the fall are determined by shortening photoperiod and temperature (warm temps can override short days hence the issue with climate change). There is no significant influence of food plant." 

Elizabeth Crone. Crone focuses her research on population ecology, "especially of plants and insects, and plant-animal interactions. Specifically, I am interested in how environmental changes translate to changes in population dynamics in animals. I was also one of the first ecologists to use generalized linear mixed models to parameterize stochastic population models." She co-authored "Why Are Monarch Butterflies Declining in the West? Understanding the Importance of Multiple Correlated Drivers," published in 2019 in Ecological Applications, Ecological Society of America.

The abstract includes: "Our results suggest a two-pronged approach to monarch conservation, specifically, starting efforts now to restore habitat, while also using experiments to more clearly delineate separate effects of climate and land use factor."

Art Shapiro. Professor Shapiro shared several handouts, including "Comments on Monarchs." He co-authored research (lead author Anne Espeset and six other colleagues) titled, "Understanding a Migratory Species in a Changing World: Climatic Effects and Demographic Declines in the Western Monarch Revealed by Four Decades of Intensive Monitoring," published in Population Ecology.

"None of my group is a Monarch specialist, and that includes me," Shapiro wrote in the handout. "Since 1999 I have done counts of all butterfly species at 4 Valley sites (Suisun, West Sacramento, North Sacramento and Rancho Cordova) using standard 'Pollard walk' methods, slightly modified. As a result we have a quantitative picture of Monarchs in breeding season over 14 years. Such data are very rare. Population estimates of Monarchs are typically based on the overwintering (non-breeding) aggregations and we know from published material that what breeding-season data exist routinely diverge from the overwintering data. That is, trends in population size as measured by overwinter animals are not routinely reflected in the summer numbers. There can be a variety of explanations for this. To me the most likely is that as a very mobile species, the Monarch may breed in different places in different years, so that a monitoring program like mine, based on a limited number of fixed, Intensively-monitored sites, is unlikely to capture this stochasticity in where Monarchs breed."

Over the last 50 years,  "Suisun has had the highest counts (of monarchs), partly but not entirely reflecting coastward migration from farther inland early in the season, but these high numbers have effectively disappeared—perhaps reflecting a systematic change in migratory trajectories."

Also at the open house, entomologist Jeff Smith, who curates the Bohart's Lepidoptera collection, and colleague  Greg Kareofelas showed visitors drawers of monarch and other butterfly specimens.

Two origami monarchs, the work of UC Davis alumnus Kevin Murakoshi of Davis and a gift to the Bohart Museum, drew special attention. Murakoshi earlier crafted origami praying mantises, ticks and bed bugs for Bohart Museum open houses.

One of the books displayed at the open house was UC Berkeley professor Noah Whiteman's newly published work, "Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature's Toxins--from Spices to Vices" (Little Brown Spark, Oct. 24, 2023) It includes information on the toxicity of milkweed.

The Bohart Museum, directed by UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. It is the home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens. It also houses a live "petting zoo" (including Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas) and a gift shop.

An enlarged image of a monarch butterfly (by Kathy Keatley Garvey) graced the entrance to the Bohart Museum's open house on monarchs. In back is Bohart associate Mike Pitcairn, retired entomologist from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An enlarged image of a monarch butterfly (by Kathy Keatley Garvey) graced the entrance to the Bohart Museum's open house on monarchs. In back is Bohart associate Mike Pitcairn, retired entomologist from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis professor Elizabeth Crone of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, formerly of Tufts University, answers questions about monarchs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis professor Elizabeth Crone of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, formerly of Tufts University, answers questions about monarchs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Professor Elizabeth Crone encouraged visitors to look at the butterfly scales through a microscope. Next to her: girls examining the display. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Professor Elizabeth Crone encouraged visitors to look at the butterfly scales through a microscope. Next to her: girls examining the display. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis emeritus professor Hugh Dingle, a worldwide authority on animal migration, including monarchs, displays a monarch migratory map. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis emeritus professor Hugh Dingle, a worldwide authority on animal migration, including monarchs, displays a monarch migratory map. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis emeritus professor Art Shapiro, who has monitored butterfly populations in central California for 50 years, explains his work. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis emeritus professor Art Shapiro, who has monitored butterfly populations in central California for 50 years, explains his work. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Bohart Museum display showing photos of life stages of monarchs, and a tachinid fly infestation. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Bohart Museum display showing photos of life stages of monarchs, and a tachinid fly infestation. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Catherine Tate, a fourth-year UC Davis student majoring in chemical engineering, asks questions of Bohart associates Greg Kareofelas (center) and Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Catherine Tate, a fourth-year UC Davis student majoring in chemical engineering, asks questions of Bohart associates Greg Kareofelas (center) and Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis professor Louie Yang (right) shows milkweed to Mike Silva, professor at Solano Community College and a City of Vacaville councilman, and his son, Jovanni Silva. Silva is planning a milkweed project in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis professor Louie Yang (right) shows milkweed to Mike Silva, professor at Solano Community College and a City of Vacaville councilman, and his son, Jovanni Silva. Silva is planning a milkweed project in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Macro photographer Larry Snyder of Davis answered questions about his monarch display in the hallway of the Academic Surge building. He took images of a monarch-milkweed project organized and led by UC Davis Professor Louie Yang. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Macro photographer Larry Snyder of Davis answered questions about his monarch display in the hallway of the Academic Surge building. He took images of a monarch-milkweed project organized and led by UC Davis Professor Louie Yang. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Brennen Dyer, the Bohart Museum's collection manager, wearing a monarch t-shirt from the gift shop. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Brennen Dyer, the Bohart Museum's collection manager, wearing a monarch t-shirt from the gift shop. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Some 650 visitors attended the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on monarchs. In the foreground is monarch researcher UC Davis Professor Elizabeth Crone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Some 650 visitors attended the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on monarchs. In the foreground is monarch researcher UC Davis Professor Elizabeth Crone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden
Tags: Art Shapiro (0), Bohart Museum of Entomology open house (0), Elizabeth Crone (0), Louie Yang (0), Lynn Kimsey (0), milkweed (0), monarchs (0), UC Davis (0)
Bohart Museum Director Lynn Kimsey: 'Exceptional Faculty Award'
Published on: November 7, 2023

Memories of a 21-Insect Net Salute...

When the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) honored UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, as the recipient of its 2023 Exceptional Faculty Award, she was asked to trace her interest in insects and to recall some of her fondest UC Davis memories.

One of the funniest memories, Kimsey related, occurred at Briggs Hall in 1986 when noted UC Davis entomology professor Richard "Doc" Bohart (1913-2007) received a 21-Insect Net Salute at the campuswide dedication of the museum in his honor.  Entomology faculty and students lined up with their insect nets, forming an archway as Doc Bohart sauntered through. UC Davis Chancellor James Meyer (1922-2002) conducted the dedication. At the time, Kimsey was a postdoctoral scholar in the Doc Bohart lab. He had earlier served as her major professor.

The CA&ES awards dinner, held Nov. 2 in the Athletic Recreation Center (ARC) Ballroom, celebrated five award recipients. In addition to Kimsey, spotlighted were: Alumnus of the Year, James Finch, 1989; Early Career Alumnus, Jeffrey Sparks 2014; Distinguished Friend of the College, Tony Turkovich; and Exceptional Staff Award, Lisa Nash Holmes.

CA&ES Dean Helene Dillard praised the recipients for serving "their communities and the university in a way that exemplifies the spirit of our college and the campus."  Prior to the award presentations, the crowd watched a video of each recipient.

“I've always been interest in insects," Kimsey told the videographer. "I got my first insect net at age 5.”

Why did she choose to study at UC Davis? "It was one place in the state that had an entomology program," said Kimsey, who holds two entomology degrees from UC Davis: a  bachelor's degree (1976) and a doctorate (1979).   "I got to pursue my bug interests. I know it was kind of weird, but even as a little kid it was fun." A portrait of her at age 5, holding an insect net, graces the Bohart Museum.

"Uc Davis," Kimsey added, "has been my home for decades."

Kimsey, a recognized authority on insect biodiversity, systematics and biogeography of parasitic wasps, urban entomology, civil forensic entomology, and arthropod-related industrial hygiene, is a 34-year member of the UC Davis entomology faculty. She has directed the Bohart Museum since 1990. 

When "Doc" Bohart founded the museum in 1946, it included only 400 insect specimens at its Briggs Hall location. Under Kimsey's tenure,  it has grown to a global collection of eight million insect specimens in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, and is the seventh largest insect collection in North America.

 "The importance of what Dr. Kimsey does and the importance of insect specimens in museums cannot be overstated," wrote nematologist Steve Nadler, professor and then chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, in his letter of nomination. "They are a valuable resource for the agricultural community, public health, forensic entomology, medicine and criminology, environmental biology, and the pest control industry, as well as the public." 

Nadler described Kimsey as a visionary with a “let's-do-this” viewpoint that defines her. "Her work is nothing short of exemplary; she has made the museum the place to be—not only for scientific collaborators but for the public."

The Bohart draws an average of 15,000 visitors a year, adds an average of 30,000 new specimens annually, and loans an average 7000 specimens yearly to scientists worldwide. It supports campus classes with specimens, live insects and exhibits in keeping with its mission:  “Understanding, documenting and communicating terrestrial arthropod diversity.”

It is also the home of an insect-themed gift shop (proceeds benefit the Bohart's educational activities) and a live “petting zoo” that includes Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas.

Unlike other directors of insect museums, which are working environments for scientists, Kimsey encourages the public to visit the facility. Said UC Davis doctoral alumna Fran Keller, now a professor at Folsom Lake College: “Lynn….believes that allowing the public in to see the collection, to see scientists working, to talk to entomologists about insects is the most important thing we should be doing as entomologists. Lynn stressed that we should be willing to talk to anyone and provide information to anyone who asks a question about insects or who walks in the museum doors. She has focused on making the collection available for the public to see and to learn about what happens in an entomology museum.”

The nomination packet included letters of support from numerous colleagues and friends. They included longtime colleague Arnold Menke of Bisbee, Ariz., whose major professor, like Kimsey, was Doc Bohart;  professor Jason Bond,  the Schlinger Endowed Chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and CA&ES associate dean;  Frank Zalom, UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus;  James Carpenter, American Museum of Natural History curator; and Fran Keller, who was Kimsey's doctoral student.

Wrote Bond: "Professor Kimsey is an internationally recognized expert in insect systematics and taxonomy who specializes in the evolution and taxonomy of two wasp families. She has made an incredible number of contributions to the field of insect systematics that includes > 120 peer reviewed papers, along with a number of book chapters, books, and monographs...Her publications are found in among the top journals appropriate for her field."  

"Lynn is an outstanding taxonomist with many publications on various wasp groups, and other insects," wrote Menke. "She has international recognition for her taxonomic work. Included in her bibliography are several books including the world revision of the wasp family Chrysididae with R. M. Bohart in 1990 which is a landmark publication."

Menke praised Kimsey for developing "an outstanding public relations situation," adding that "She has fostered in children (and adults) an appreciation of insects and their world. Lynn has all sorts of living creatures for them to touch and experience first hand. Because of this Lynn has caused many students to take entomology as a career. I know of no other entomological institution that has done what Kimsey has in the Bohart Museum. High school students are interns in the museum, as are undergraduates. Lynn also guides the study of her graduate students at the museum. In addition, she publishes a newsletter in full color (Bohart Museum Society Newsletter) in which she covers stories about insects that are very informative. For example, one of the last issues has an article on fleas which is comprehensive, and doubtless of great interest to people who have encountered these noxious creatures."

The nominating team also described Kimsey as a favorite among the news media, with her ability to translate complex subjects into lay language, and her love of people. Over her 34 years at UC Davis, she has granted thousands of interviews to news outlets, including British Broadcasting System, New York Times, National Geographic, Associated Press, and Los Angeles Times.

Kimsey served as president of the International Society of Hymenopterists from 2002-2004, and as a member of the board of directors of the Natural Science Collections Alliance in 2000 and 2001. The Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of Ameica (PBESA) singled her out for its highest honor, the C. W. Woodworth Award, in 2020. She received the PBESA Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Award in 2014 and was a member of 'The Bee Team' that won the PBESA Outstanding Team Award in 2013. The UC Davis Academic Senate honored her with its Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award in 2016 in recognition of her outstanding work.

Kimsey served as the vice chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 2005-2006 and again in 2009-2010 and chaired the department in 2008-2009. She plans to retire in 2024 but will continue her research and public service at the Bohart Museum. 

Related Story:

Amazing Story About What Entomologist Lynn Kimsey Recorded in San Francisco Bay 50 Years Ago--Bug Squad blog, Aug. 23, 2021 

The 21-Insect Net Salute! From left are Lynn Kimsey (partially obscured) David Moody, then a researcher in the Bruce Hammock lab; Bruce Hammock, now a UC Davis distinguished professor; insect ecologist Richard “Dick” Rice (1937-2011); mosquito researcher Debbie Dritz, now a vector ecologist, Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control; agricultural entomologist Les Ehler (1946-2016); apiculturist Norm Gary, now UC Davis professor emeritus; and ant specialist Phil Ward, now an entomology professor.
21-Insect Net Salute! Pictured: Lynn Kimsey; David Moody of Bruce Hammock lab; Bruce Hammock, now UC Davis distinguished professor; insect ecologist Richard Rice (1937-2011); mosquito researcher Debbie Dritz, now a vector ecologist, Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control; agricultural entomologist Les Ehler (1946-2016); apiculturist Norm Gary, now UC Davis professor emeritus; ant specialist Phil Ward, now professor.
Professor Richard Bohart, founder of the Bohart Museum, walks through the archway of the 21-Net Insect Salute during the museum dedication.
Professor Richard Bohart, founder of the Bohart Museum, walks through the archway of the 21-Net Insect Salute during the museum dedication.
UC Davis Chancellor James Meyer (right) congratulates Professor Richard Bohart at the museum dedication in 1986. The chancellor died in 2002 and Bohart in 2007.
UC Davis Chancellor James Meyer (right) congratulates Professor Richard Bohart at the museum dedication in 1986. The chancellor died in 2002 and Bohart in 2007.
Let's eat! UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' dinner prior to the award presentations. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Let's eat! UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' dinner prior to the award presentations. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The crowd applauds as UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey receives the Exceptional Faculty Award from Dean Helene Dillard at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' dinner. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The crowd applauds as UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey receives the Exceptional Faculty Award from Dean Helene Dillard at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' dinner. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A toast to the honorees! UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey hold up her glass in a salute to the honorees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A toast to the honorees! UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey hold up her glass in a salute to the honorees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Team! In front (from left) are professor Fran Keller, Folsom Lake College; Brennen Dyer, Bohart Museum; Dean Helene Dillard, CA&ES; Lynn Kimsey, award recipient; Linda Rosenfield and her husband Arnold Menke of Bisbee,Ariz.; Tabatha Yang, Bohart Museum; and Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. In back are Jeff Smith, Bohart; Jason Bond, Schlinger Endowed Chair and CA&ES associate dean; and Bob Kimsey, forensic entomologist.
The Team! In front (from left) are professor Fran Keller, Folsom Lake College; Brennen Dyer, Bohart Museum; Dean Helene Dillard, CA&ES; Lynn Kimsey, award recipient; Linda Rosenfield and her husband Arnold Menke of Bisbee,Ariz.; Tabatha Yang, Bohart Museum; and Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. In back are Jeff Smith, Bohart; Jason Bond, Schlinger Endowed Chair and CA&ES associate dean; and Bob Kimsey, forensic entomologist.
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management
Tags: Bohart Museum of Entomology (0), College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (0), Exceptional Faculty Award (0), Lynn Kimsey (0), UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (0)
No Predation at Bohart Museum of Entomology's Pre-Halloween Party
Published on: October 31, 2023

If you attended the Bohart Museum of Entomology's private party, hosted by the Bohart Museum Society for its members and friends, you witnessed a praying mantis, a dragonfly, a honeybee, a monarch butterfly and a horse fly all getting along fabulously.

The predators and their prey were all in costumes, of course:

  • The queen bee: UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum
  • The praying mantis: Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of the Bohart Museum
  • The green darner dragonfly: Christofer Brothers, a UC Davis doctoral candidate researching dragonflies
  • The monarch: Barbara Heinsch, a Bohart Museum volunteer, who arrived with her entomologist-husband, Mike Pitcairn, retired  senior environmental scientist, supervisor, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). He wore his CDFA lab coat and swung an insect net.

And the guy in the ghillie suit serving beverages (that would be forensic entomologist Robert "Bob" Kimsey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology) is keenly interested in flies, but he didn't net the fly. 

UC Davis entomology alumna Ivana Li, a biology lab manager at UC Davis, catered the event and arrived with her dog, Juniper, dressed as a taco. Lynn Kimsey cut a carrot cake,  decorated with tiny carrots and large googly eyes. 

Some attendees, including Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology; UC Davis doctoral alumna Fran Keller, professor at Folsom Lake College; Bohart Museum associate Greg Karofelas; UC Davis doctoral alumnus Dick Meyer (who studied with the late Richard Bohart); and entomology student Kaitai Liu, arrived as themselves, sans Halloween costumes. 

The Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens, plus a live insect petting zoo and a gift shop. Founded in 1946 by the late UC Davis professor Richard Bohart, it has been directed by Kimsey, his former doctoral student, since 1990.  (See more Halloween images on the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology website)

Next Open House on Monarchs. The Bohart's next open open house, set from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 4, is on monarchs. 

The event, free and family friendly, will be held in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane. This is an opportunity for attendees to ask questions about monarchs (Danaus plexippus) and native vs. non-native milkweed, among other topics.

The scientists will include:

  • UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Art Shapiroof the Department of Evolution and Ecology, who has studied butterfly populations in central California since 1972 and maintains a research website, Art's Butterfly World.

  • UC Davis emeritus professor Hugh Dingle, a worldwide authority on animal migration, including monarchs.  He is the author of Migration: The Biology of Life on the Move (Oxford University Press), a sequel to the first edition published in 1996. See news story on the UC Davis Entomology and Nematology website.

  • UC Davis professor Louie Yang, who does research on monarchs. Due to parental duties, he may be able to attend only the last part of the open house. See news story about his work.

  • UC Davis professor Elizabeth Crone of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, formerly of Tufts University, who researches monarchs. See news story about the declining monarch population on the UC Davis Entomology and Nematology website.

  • UC Davis postdoctoral fellow Aramee Diethelm of the Elizabeth Crone lab. She holds a doctorate from the University of Nevada, Reno.  Both her Ph.D. and postdoctoral work are on monarch butterflies.  As a doctoral student, she investigated the phytochemical landscape of milkweed (Asclepias) species across northern Nevada and the effects of this variation on western monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterfly performance. See her research posted on Google Scholar, and her blog on "Drought Influences Monarch Host Plant Selection."

Shapiro points out that the monarch "is NOT a focal species in my research and I am NOT a monarch expert. On the other hand, I have a unique breeding-season census data set starting in 1999. The only other census data are for the overwintering roosts on the coast. It has become apparent that the two data sets do not always agree." Shapiro said he'd talk briefly about this at the open house. 

The Bohart Museum, founded in 1946, houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens; a live insect petting zoo; and a gift shop. It is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. For more information, access the website or email bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.

UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey (center), director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, thanks UC Davis biology lab manager and UC Davis alumna Ivana Li (far left), who catered the party. Also pictured (from left) Professor Fran Keller of Folsom Lake College, postdoctoral researcher Severyn Korneyev and his wife, artist Kristina Kernytska, UC Davis alumna Brittany Kohler and Tabatha Yang, Bohart education and outreach coordinator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey (center), director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, thanks UC Davis biology lab manager and UC Davis alumna Ivana Li (far left), who catered the party. Also pictured (from left) Professor Fran Keller of Folsom Lake College, postdoctoral researcher Severyn Korneyev and his wife, artist Kristina Kernytska, UC Davis alumna Brittany Kohler and Tabatha Yang, Bohart education and outreach coordinator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A praying mantis pays
A praying mantis pays "no predatory attention" to a queen bee at the Bohart Museum's pre-Halloween party. From left are Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum as a queen bee; Kristen Bond, Bohart associate; and Tabatha Yang, Bohart education and outreach coordinator dressed as a mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis first-year doctoral student CC Edwards and UC Davis doctoral candidate Christofer Edwards chat at the Halloween party. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis first-year doctoral student CC Edwards and UC Davis doctoral candidate Christofer Edwards chat at the Halloween party. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis doctoral candidate Christofer Brothers wore a green darner dragonfly costume to the Bohart Museum of Entomology's pre-Halloween party. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis doctoral candidate Christofer Brothers wore a green darner dragonfly costume to the Bohart Museum of Entomology's pre-Halloween party. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Allen Chew's self-created horse fly costume drew lots of praise. Also pictured are (far left) arachnologist-geneticist Jim Starrett, and (far right) Dick Meyer, a UC Davis doctoral alumnus who retired from a medical entomology career. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Allen Chew's self-created horse fly costume drew lots of praise. Also pictured are (far left) arachnologist-geneticist Jim Starrett, and (far right) Dick Meyer, a UC Davis doctoral alumnus who retired from a medical entomology career. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Cutting the cake are Bohart Museum postdoctoral researcher Socrates Letana; UC Davis doctoral alumna Fran Keller, professor, Folsom Lake College; and UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Cutting the cake are Bohart Museum postdoctoral researcher Socrates Letana; UC Davis doctoral alumna Fran Keller, professor, Folsom Lake College; and UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Predators and Prey Help Bohart Museum Celebrate Halloween
Published on: October 30, 2023

What exactly happened when two predators and their prey--a praying mantis, a green darner dragonfly, a queen bee and a monarch butterfly--recently entered the Bohart Museum of Entomology with assorted entomologists?

They all socialized and enjoyed a buffet dinner, followed by a cake. No predation! The occasion: the Bohart Museum's annual pre-Halloween party, hosted by the Bohart Museum Society. 

  • The queen bee: UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum
  • The praying mantis: Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of the Bohart Museum
  • The green darner dragonfly: Christofer Brothers, a UC Davis doctoral candidate researching dragonflies
  • The monarch: Barbara Heinsch, a Bohart Museum volunteer, who arrived with her entomologist-husband, Mike Pitcairn, retired  senior environmental scientist, supervisor, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). He wore his CDFA lab coat and swung an insect net.

UC Davis entomology alumna Ivana Li, a biology lab manager at UC Davis, catered the event and arrived with her dog, Juniper, dressed as a taco. Lynn Kimsey cut a carrot cake,  decorated with tiny carrots and large googly eyes. Forensic entomologist Robert "Bob" Kimsey, dressed in his ghillie suit,  served beverages.

Some attendees, including Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology; UC Davis doctoral alumna Fran Keller, professor at Folsom Lake College; Bohart Museum associate Greg Karofelas; UC Davis doctoral alumnus Dick Meyer (who studied with the late Richard Bohart); and entomology student Kaitai Liu, arrived as themselves, sans Halloween costumes. 

Background. The Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens, plus a live insect petting zoo and a gift shop. Founded in 1946 by the late UC Davis professor Richard Bohart, it has been directed by Kimsey, his former doctoral student, since 1990. 

Kimsey was recently selected the recipient of the 2023 Exceptional Faculty Award from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES).  She will be honored at the CA&ES Award of Distinction dinner on Thursday, Nov. 2 in the UC Davis Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) Ballroom

A recognized authority on insect biodiversity, systematics and biogeography of parasitic wasps, urban entomology, civil forensic entomology, and arthropod-related industrial hygiene, Kimsey is a 34-year member of the UC Davis entomology faculty and a UC Davis alumna, holding bachelor and doctoral degrees in entomology. 

When former department chair Richard Bohart (for whom the museum is named), founded the museum in 1946, it was a “hole in the wall” in Briggs Hall that included only 400 insect specimens. Under Kimsey's tenure,  it has grown to a global collection of eight million insect specimens and is the seventh largest insect collection in North America.

The Bohart draws an average of 15,000 visitors a year, adds an average of 30,000 new specimens annually, and loans an average 7000 specimens yearly to scientists worldwide. It supports campus classes with specimens, live insects and exhibits in keeping with its mission:  “Understanding, documenting and communicating terrestrial arthropod diversity.” 

Lynn Kimsey (center) director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, welcomes the crowd. In back are post-doctoral researcher Severyn Korneyev, and his wife, artist Kristina Kernytska; Tabatha Yang, Bohart education and outreach coordinator; and Jason Bond, professor and Schlinger chair in Insect Systematics and associate dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Lynn Kimsey (center) director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, welcomes the crowd. In back are post-doctoral researcher Severyn Korneyev, and his wife, artist Kristina Kernytska; Tabatha Yang, Bohart education and outreach coordinator; and Jason Bond, professor and Schlinger chair in Insect Systematics and associate dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey (center) director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, introduces biology lab manager Ivana Li (far left), who catered the party. Also pictured (from left) Professor Fran Keller of Folsom Lake College; postdoctoral researcher Severyn Korneyev, and his wife, artist Kristina Kernytska; UC Davis alumna Brittany Kohler and Tabatha Yang, Bohart education and outreach coordinator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey (center) director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, introduces biology lab manager Ivana Li (far left), who catered the party. Also pictured (from left) Professor Fran Keller of Folsom Lake College; postdoctoral researcher Severyn Korneyev, and his wife, artist Kristina Kernytska; UC Davis alumna Brittany Kohler and Tabatha Yang, Bohart education and outreach coordinator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Enjoying the party are (from left) UC Davis entomology students Naomi Lila and Sol Wantz, who is president of the UC Davis Entomology Club; post-doctoral researcher Severyn Korneyev of the Bohart Museum and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and his wife, artist Kristina Kernytska. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Enjoying the party are (from left) UC Davis entomology students Naomi Lila and Sol Wantz, who is president of the UC Davis Entomology Club; post-doctoral researcher Severyn Korneyev of the Bohart Museum and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and his wife, artist Kristina Kernytska. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An entomologist and a monarch: CDFA retiree Mike Pitcairn pretends to net a monarch, his wife Barbara Heinsch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An entomologist and a monarch: CDFA retiree Mike Pitcairn pretends to net a monarch, his wife Barbara Heinsch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Molecular geneticist and physiologist Joanna Chiu (left) professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, visits with
Molecular geneticist and physiologist Joanna Chiu (left) professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, visits with "worker bee" DeAnn Ronning, department purchasing specialist. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bill Patterson, longtime butterfly collector and strong supporter of the Bohart Museum, chats with Bohart collection manager Brennen Dyer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bill Patterson, longtime butterfly collector and strong supporter of the Bohart Museum, chats with Bohart collection manager Brennen Dyer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A predator and prey--Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator, dressed as a praying mantis, with
A predator and prey--Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator, dressed as a praying mantis, with "queen bee" Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Two predators: UC Davis doctoral candidate Christofer Brothers as a green darner dragonfly, and Tabatha Yang, Bohart Museum education and outreach coordinator, as a praying mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Two predators: UC Davis doctoral candidate Christofer Brothers as a green darner dragonfly, and Tabatha Yang, Bohart Museum education and outreach coordinator, as a praying mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Intricately carved pumpkins graced the decor at the Bohart Museum of Entomology pre-Halloween party. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Intricately carved pumpkins graced the decor at the Bohart Museum of Entomology pre-Halloween party. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A ghostly hand greeted guests at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's pre-Halloween party. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A ghostly hand greeted guests at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's pre-Halloween party. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Juniper, dressed as a taco, rests in an aisle. He's the mascot of UC Davis biolog manager Ivana Li, who catered the event. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Juniper, dressed as a taco, rests in an aisle. He's the mascot of UC Davis biolog manager Ivana Li, who catered the event. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Innovation, Yard & Garden
Tags: Bohart Museum of Entomology (0), costumes (0), Lynn Kimsey (0), pre-Halloween party (0), predators (0), prey (0)
Congrats to UC Davis Distinguished Professor Lynn Kimsey: Exceptional Faculty Member
Published on: October 23, 2023

Congratulations to UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, who was recently selected the recipient of the 2023 Exceptional Faculty Award from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES). 

A well-deserved honor!

Kimsey, a recognized authority on insect biodiversity, systematics and biogeography of parasitic wasps, urban entomology, civil forensic entomology, and arthropod-related industrial hygiene, is a 34-year member of the UC Davis entomology faculty and a UC Davis alumna. She has directed the Bohart Museum since 1990. 

Kimsey will be honored at the CA&ES Award of Distinction dinner on Thursday, Nov. 2 in the UC Davis Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) Ballroom. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a reception, followed by the dinner and awards ceremony. Registration ends Friday, Oct. 27; register online here.

"A renowned hymenopterist and taxonomist, Dr. Kimsey has brought worldwide distinction to our department, college, and the university for her research, teaching, public service, leadership, development funding, mentoring, and outreach," wrote Steve Nadler, then the chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, in his June nomination letter. "She works tirelessly to make insects and entomological knowledge more accessible to scientists and the public, and her influence and impact are felt internationally."

When former department chair Richard Bohart (for whom the museum is named), founded the museum in 1946, it was a “hole in the wall” in Briggs Hall that included only 400 insect specimens. Under Kimsey's tenure,  it has grown to a global collection of eight million insect specimens in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, and is the seventh largest insect collection in North America.

"The importance of what Dr. Kimsey does and the importance of insect specimens in museums cannot be overstated," Nadler wrote. "They are a valuable resource for the agricultural community, public health, forensic entomology, medicine and criminology, environmental biology, and the pest control industry, as well as the public." 

The Bohart draws an average of 15,000 visitors a year, adds an average of 30,000 new specimens annually, and loans an average 7000 specimens yearly to scientists worldwide. It supports campus classes with specimens, live insects and exhibits in keeping with its mission:  “Understanding, documenting and communicating terrestrial arthropod diversity.”

It is also the home of a year-around insect-themed gift shop (proceeds benefit the Bohart's educational activities) and a live “petting zoo” that includes Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas. Children delight in holding the “hissers” and the walking sticks."

Unlike other directors of insect museums, which are working environments for scientists, Kimsey encourages visits by the public. Says UC Davis doctoral alumna Fran Keller, now a professor at Folsom Lake College: “Lynn….believes that allowing the public in to see the collection, to see scientists working, to talk to entomologists about insects is the most important thing we should be doing as entomologists. Lynn stressed that we should be willing to talk to anyone and provide information to anyone who asks a question about insects or who walks in the museum doors. She has focused on making the collection available for the public to see and to learn about what happens in an entomology museum.”

The Bohart takes its outreach programs to nearly 40 institutions annually. This includes schools, state and county fairs and libraries.

"Dr. Kimsey is a legend not only on the UC Davis campus but is called upon as an insect expert at the state, national and global levels," Nadler wrote. "She consults with international, national and state agencies; she identifies some 2000 insects every year for scientific collaborators, public agencies and the general public; she has answered an estimated 30,000 questions from the public and news media. They include bed bugs, yellowjackets, spiders, moths, butterflies, crane flies and Asian giant hornets (what the news media dubbed 'murder hornets').  She encourages a greater appreciation of insects through the Bohart Museum's many open houses, workshops and lectures. She also directs the support group, the Bohart Museum Society, and writes quarterly newsletters (nearly 100 to date) and fact sheets (80 to date) on insects and other arthropods). She compiled crucial information on human skin parasites and delusional parasitosis, important topics available on her website. The Bohart also sponsors summer BioBoot camps for middle-school and high school students."

Kimsey served as president of the International Society of Hymenopterists from 2002-2004, and as a member of the board of directors of the Natural Science Collections Alliance in 2000 and 2001. The Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of Ameica (PBESA) singled her out for its highest honor, the C. W. Woodworth Award, in 2020. She received the PBESA Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Award in 2014 and was a member of 'The Bee Team' that won the PBESA Outstanding Team Award in 2013. The UC Davis Academic Senate honored her with its Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award in 2016 in recognition of her outstanding work.

The nominating team described Kimsey as a favorite among the news media, with her ability to translate complex subjects into lay language, and her love of people. Over her 34 years at UC Davis, Dr. Kimsey has granted thousands of interviews to news outlets, including British Broadcasting System, New York Times, National Geographic, Associated Press, and Los Angeles Times.

Kimsey holds two degrees in entomology from UC Davis: a bachelor's degree (1976) and a doctorate (1979).  She served served as the vice chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 2005-2006 and again in 2009-2010.

2023 CA&Es Award of Distinction Recipients:

Alumnus of the Year
James Finch '89

Early Career Alumni
Jeffrey Sparks '14

Distinguished Friend of the College
Tony Turkovich

Exceptional Faculty Award
Lynn Kimsey

Exceptional Staff Award
Lisa Nash Holmes

UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, is the recipient of the 2023 Exceptional Faculty Award from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, is the recipient of the 2023 Exceptional Faculty Award from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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