- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Those who attended the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on social wasps, held Jan. 20, learned all about them from entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the lepidoptera collection, and Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas.
Many of the day-flying, beautifully colored sheep moths are commonly mistaken for butterflies.
"We have around 50 drawers of moths in the genus Hemileuca, often called Buck Moths, and the genus is comprised of 24 species in North America," Smith said. "It is likely this will expand as studies with DNA more accurately define species and relationships. The "Sheep Moth," Hemileuca eglanterina, takes up around 10 drawers in the Bohart Museum. It is a highly variable species, ranging from nearly black to pink/yellow to the typical orange with black markings. In all, we likely have around 400-500 specimens of this species."
Smith takes a special interest in the Bohart Museum's sheep moths, as many were collected by his brother, the late Mike Smith, a 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran. Mike, who moved to Folsom following his retirement, "raised many hundreds of the moths in the Hemileuca from caterpillars and eggs," Jeff said. "I suspect his goal (Mike died in 2003) would have been to make some sense of the great geographic variability in some of the species, such as Hemileuca hera, which ranges from nearly white to nearly black, depending on the locale it is found in."
"Given the theme of 'social wasps' for the event, visitors were fascinated by the great many moths that so closely resemble wasps and bees, in the families Sesiidae (clearwing moths), Sphingidae the genus Hemaris) and Erebidae, the subfamily Arctiinae or tiger moths," Smith said. "They also enjoyed species such as the Atlas Moths, Luna Moth, Death Head Moth, and others that we guided them to."
There's much misinformation on the Internet about "sheep moth infestations" on sheep, Smith said. "The sheep moth, Hemileuca eglanterina, absolutely does NOT feed on anything to do with sheep. The larvae eat only plants. However, one website said that moth larvae--presumably clothes moths--will feed on the wool while it is still on a sheep, which is FALSE. These larvae feed only on things long gone from any animal, like hair, feathers, wool, felt, etc."
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 houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens, plus a live petting zoo (Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks, taranatulas and more) and an insect-themed gift shop, stocked with T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, books, posters, and jewelry.
The next Bohart Museum open house is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 10, during the 13th annual UC Davis Biodiverity Museum Day. It is one of 10 museums or collections open, with varying hours. The event is free and family friendly.





- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
But so were the participants in the family arts-and-crafts activity at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on social wasps, held Saturday, Jan. 20 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis.
The family activity? To create a paper mache wasp nest, using a balloon, newspapers, a pump, a marker, a chopstick, and a paste of flour, water and school glue.
Directions on "How to Make a Paper Mache Wasp Nest" read:
- Blow up the balloon to the size of an orange using the pump
- Tear strips from newspaper and dip in paste of flour, water and school glue
- Apply strips to several layers onto balloon, making sure that balloon is covered
- Optional: Decorate, using colorful tissue paper
- Pierce the tail end of the balloon using a chopstick and initial the chopstick stick using a marker
- Let dry on rack or at home.
Skylan Potter, 11, of Sacramento, a member of the Wild Oak Circle chapter of SpiralScouts International, arrived with her mother, Camille Potter, and baby brother, Kehlan Kaufeldt, age 1, to work on her entomology badge.
SpiralScouts International aims "to provide opportunities for young people to fulfill their potential as caring responsible individuals through informal activities in a spiritual, open and loving atmosphere that celebrates their diversity," according its website.
Skylan's mother, vice president of the international organization, said SpiralScouts offers four levels: RainDrop ages 3-5; FireFly, ages 6-9; SpiralScout, ages 10-13 years; and PathFinder, ages 14-18. "From one level to the next, they can earn the same badge with increased skill/ability and learning requirements," she related.
Skylan worked on completing the entomology badge requirements at the SpiralScout level. She had previously earned her entomology badge at the FireFly level.
UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum, answered questions about social wasps. Attendees looked at specimens, and also viewed species and wasp nest material through microscopes.
The Schmidt Sting Pain Index, a pain scale of different hymenopteran stings ranked by entomologist Justin Schmidt (1947-2023), drew widespread interest. Schmidt, an entomologist at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, Tuczon, Ariz., deliberately subjected himself to stings and then ranked them as to the level of pain he experienced. Some of his findings:
- The bald-faced hornet, ranked as a 2 in the pain scale and described as "Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand smashed in a revolving door."
- The yellowjacket, a 2: “Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W. C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue.”
- The paper wasp, a 3: "Caustic and burning. Distinctly bitter aftertaste. Like spilling a beaker of hydrochloric acid on a paper cut."
The next Bohart Museum open house will be Saturday, Feb. 10, during the 13th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, a "Super Science Day" spotlighting 10 UC Davis museums and collections. It is free and family friendly. The Bohart Museum, a founder of the event, will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (See list on Bug Squad blog)
Founded in 1946, the Bohart Museum houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens, plus a live petting zoo, including Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks, tarantulas; and an insect-themed gift shop stocked with t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, books, posters, jewelry and more.






- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Quick, get your camera ready! There's a wasp!
Ever heard anyone say that?
We remember capturing an image of a European paper wasp, Polistes dominula, that had just shredded a caterpillar and was about to fly the prey back to her colony. It was a Gulf Fritillary caterpillar, Agraulis vanillae. Score: European paper wasp: 1; Gulf Fritillary caterpillar, 0.
Then there was the beewolf, a crabronid wasp from the genus Philanthus, that almost made a fatal mistake. It landed on the same buckwheat blossom occupied by a praying mantis. The beewolf escaped. Score: Beewolf, 1; Mantis, 0.
Like to learn more about wasps?
The Bohart Museum of Entomology is hosting an open house on social wasps from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 20 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Drive, UC Davis campus. It's free and family friendly. UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the museum, will be there to answer questions about wasps and show specimens.


- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
"We will be doing paper mache wasp nests; I'm thinking of starter queen nests, so small little paper wasp nests," said Tabatha Yang, the Bohart Museum's education and outreach coordinator.
The event, free and family friendly, takes place in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. Parking is also free.
UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum, will be featured. She will answer questions on social wasps as visitors examine wasp specimens. The Bohart, the home of a worldwide collection of eight million insect specimens,has about 50,000 wasp specimens.
Kimsey defines social wasps as "Wasps that live together and cooperate in a colony, with female workers and a queen; only the queen has babies." To date, scientists have described some 2000 wasp species worldwide, with an estimated 500 yet to be described.
Kimsey says that common myths about wasps include:
- They are often seen as malevolent beings out to get you and will chase you
- That they serve no purpose except to annoy us
- If you're allergic to bee stings you'll be allergic to wasp stings
- A copper penny place on a sting will make it go away
However, "they provide valuable ecosystem services, they do pest control and they assist in nutrient recycling and pollination," she says.
Kimsey, who joined the UC Davis faculty in 1989 and became director of the Bohart Museum in 1990, plans to retire from the university in February 2024. However, she will remain executive director of the Bohart Museum Society. "It just means that I won't be teaching or doing university administrative things any more," she wrote in the current edition of the Bohart Museum Society Newsletter, which she writes and edits.
The Bohart Museum also houses a live petting zoo, including Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks and tarantulas; and an insect-themed gift shop stocked with T-shirts, hoodies, books, posters, jewelry and more. Further information is available on the Bohart Museum website at https://bohart.ucdavis.edu/ or by emailing bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.


- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
In the Beer-for-a-Butterfly contest, or "Suds for a Bug," if you collect the first live cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) of the year anywhere in the three-county area of Yolo, Sacramento and Solano, you can trade it for a beer or its equivalent, compliments of the good professor.
Shapiro participates in his own contest and usually wins it. Today he monitored butterfly populations in Suisun (Solano County), but found no P. rapae.
No rapae today!
His records for the cabbage white of the year in Suisun show: Jan. 23, 2018; Jan. 25, 2019, Feb. 10, 2020 and Jan. 22, 2022. "No sample in '21, and late in '23 due to persistent rain, with first rapae not until March!" Shapiro noted. "Based on weather models, I am tentatively predicting the first rapae in the tri-county area for around Jan. 25-26."
Shapiro launched the contest in 1972 as part of his scientific research to determine the first flight of the year in the three-county area. His research involves long-term studies of butterfly life cycles and climate change.
P. rapae is emerging earlier and earlier as the regional climate has warmed, Shapiro says. "Since 1972, the first flight of the cabbage white butterfly has varied from Jan. 1 to Feb. 22, averaging about Jan. 20."
Shapiro, who has monitored butterfly populations in Central California since 1972, and maintains a research website at http://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/, says the point of the contest "is to get the earliest possible flight date for statistical purposes. The rules require that the animal be captured and brought in alive to be verified. That way no one can falsely claim to have seen one or misidentify something else as a cabbage white."
The contest rules include:
- It must be an adult (no caterpillars or pupae) and be captured outdoors.
- It must be brought in alive to the Bohart Museum of Entomology, located in Room 1124, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus, during work hours, from 8 a.m. to noon, and from 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. It must include full data (exact time, date and location of the capture) and the contact information of the collector (address, phone number and/or e-mail.) Brennen Dyer will certify that it is alive and refrigerate it. (If it's collected on a weekend or holiday, it can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days--do not freeze it, Shapiro says.)
- Shapiro is the sole judge.
Shapiro has been defeated only four times and those were by UC Davis graduate students. Adam Porter won in 1983; Sherri Graves and Rick VanBuskirk each won in the late 1990s; and Jacob Montgomery in 2016. The first three were his own graduate students.
Who won in 2023? Shapiro spotted the first butterfly of 2023 at 11:22 a.m., in West Sacramento, Yolo County. He did not collect the butterfly but recorded it as the first of the year. No one came forth with any other.
