Young artists learned about the importance of blow flies last Saturday at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house as they engaged in maggot art.

Under the supervision of UC Davis Entomology Club members Riley Hoffman and Emi Marrujo, the youths dipped a maggot (blowfly larva) into non-toxic, water-based paint, and guided it--or let it crawl--on white paper.

Voila! Maggot art, a great conversation piece destined for "refrigerator art" or to frame.

Riley and Emi identified the larvae:

Activity: Maggot art
Common term: Green bottle fly larvae
Family: Calliphoridae
Genus: Lucilia
Species: cuprina or sericata

"It is really amazing to have a positive space to introduce Diptera larvae to kids!" Riley said. "It is surprising how quickly the kids dive into handling the maggots and how many questions they have when they get some one on one time watching maggots move around. Maggots are beautiful and unique, there is no need to be afraid or grossed out. Especially if we give kids the space to approach the insects themselves."

Riley is in her second year of the UC Davis Forensic Science Graduate Program and focuses on the DNA analysis of forensically important Diptera larvae. She received her bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in criminal justice/criminology from Colorado State University (CSU). During her undergraduate career, she completed an independent study in forensic entomology. Following her graduation, she worked as a CSU entomologist in Professor Jennifer Bousselot's lab and also volunteered at the C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity. 

Said Emi: "I really enjoyed being part of the maggot art. It was a great space to get visitors of all ages excited about maggots and starting the conversation about how important Diptera and other insects are in our ecosystem. I loved all the funky questions kids had about fly behavior and I think we really changed some people's minds and got them excited to learn more about our insect relatives."

Emi, a fourth-year student majoring in American Studies and minoring in insect biology, psychology and museums studies, enjoys researching beetles (mostly Pleocomidae) taxonomy and behavior. At UC Davis, Emi has conducted research "on minority engagement with public libraries and how public memory is constructed through archives." Emi plans to pursue a master's degree in library and information science, while continuing that research. 

(See beneficial aspects of blow flies in the journal, New Zealand Entomologist, and the Deep Look YouTube video produced by KQED and PBS Digital Studios.)

She Coined the Term. Forensic entomologist Rebecca O'Flaherty, a former UC Davis doctoral candidate, coined the term "Maggot Art" in 2001 when she was a student at the University of Hawaii. She was seeking a different outreach program activity to teach youngsters about insects. Not to hate them, she said, but to respect them and learn from them.

Her website includes the history of the art,  as well as some of the highlights, including an interview with National Public Radio in March, 2007, and a two-month art show in 2007 at the Capital Athletic Club, Sacramento. The CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) television show featured one of her works, “Ancient Offering,”  which hung on the permanent set in Gil Grissom's office.

"I love my work and being able to share my love with so many people has truly been a joy," Rebecca told us in a 2007 interview. "I tend to target young elementary students, second and third graders, because I find that at that age, most children are enthusiastic, uninhibited and extremely open to new ideas. They haven't developed aversions to insects, and we're able to instill in them an appreciation for and interest in all organisms, no matter how disgusting those organisms may be perceived to be."

Picnic Day Activity. Maggot art is now an annual activity hosted by the UC Davis Graduate Student Association, Department of Entomology and Nematology, at Briggs Hall during the campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day. (This year's Picnic Day is April 12). 

The Bohart Museum, founded in 1946 by UC Davis entomology professor Richard Bohart, houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens, plus a live petting zoo and a gift shop. The Bohart Museum is directed by Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in the Department of Entomology and Nematology and associate dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

The next Bohart Museum open house will be Saturday, Feb. 8. It will be part of the 14th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day activities, all free and family friendly.

For more information on the Bohart Museum, access the website at https://bohart.ucdavis.edu or contact bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.