What's not to like about a bug?

And there are more of them to like than you think!

About a million described species of insects inhabit our planet.  That's about 80 percent of the world's species, scientists say.

"Most authorities agree that there are more insect species that have not been described (named by science) than there are insect species that have been previously named," according to the Smithsonian.  "Conservative estimates suggest that this figure is 2 million, but estimates extend to 30 million. In the last decade, much attention has been given to the entomofauna that exists in the canopies of tropical forests of the world. From studies conducted by Terry Erwin of the Smithsonian Institution's Department of Entomology in Latin American forest canopies, the number of living species of insects has been estimated to be 30 million. Insects also probably have the largest biomass of the terrestrial animals. At any time, it is estimated that there are some 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive."

Which brings us to this news: The Bohart Museum of Entomology gift shop at the University of California, Davis, just received a shipment of new bug pins. Bug enthusiasts can not only TALK about bugs but WEAR them. And having a bug pin on your clothing is a definite conversation starter. (Not an ender)

Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of the Bohart, said the pins include:

• White-lined sphinx moth
• Autumn darter
• Emerald ash borer
• Fly
• Yellow Garden Argiope Spider
• Zombie ant

Open on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The Bohart Museum gift shop is open Wednesday, Dec. 18 from 1 to 4:30 p.m., and then the museum will be closed for the winter holidays, through Jan. 4. "Otherwise, people can start thinking about which of their loved ones would want a rainbow fly with glow-in-the-dark wings or a "zombie ant. pin for Valentine's Day," Yang commented.

Holiday Greetings Card. A special item for sale in the gift shop is a winter greetings card, the work of entomologist-artist Allen Chew, a UC Davis alumnus. It was commissioned by UC Davis retired professors Lynn Kimsey (former director of the Bohart Museum who continues as director of the Bohart Museum Society) and Bob Kimsey (forensic entomologist). The card features assorted insects racing across an ice skating pond, with a German yellowjacket on the sidelines saying "They're never gonna beat Jerry."  Who is Jerry? That's an inside joke from the UC Davis Bug Boot Camp that refers to a water strider in the family Gerridae---"Jerry," for short.

The back of the card identifies each species. Among them: an ant, cockroach, leafhopper, domestic silk moth, a thick-legged hoverfly, and a twisted-wing parasite. Inside are holiday greetings in eight languages. The card is also perfect as a coloring page. The cards are $4 each or $5 for 15 in the gift shop.

"I got the idea to have a winter-themed card not tied to any specific holiday and since 'Jerry' refers to a pond skater (Gerridae), I thought the idea of an ice skating pond race was fun, filled with long-legged bugs plus an ice crawler (Grylloblattiae)," Chew said.  

The Bohart Museum, home of eight million insect specimens, is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. Director is Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in the Department of Entomology and Nematology and associate dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The museum also includes a live petting zoo. 

The next open house, free and family friendly, takes place Saturday, Jan. 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. More information is available from the website at https://bohart.ucdavis.edu/pr  by contacting bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.