- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
There's plenty to love and purchase in the Bohart Museum of Entomology gift shop and on the UC Davis Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) website.
EGSA members design insect and arachnid-themed T-shirts that climb, crawl, jump, roll, flutter, buzz, fly or otherwise position themselves on EGSA T-shirts. They can be viewed and ordered online at https://mkt.com/UCDavisEntGrad/.
EGSA president Mia Lippey, a doctoral student in the laboratories of UC Davis distinguished professor Jay Rosenheim and assistant professor Emily Meineke, says that currently, the designs offered are:
- The Beetles (in black or red)
- Entomo Gothic (a play on the American Gothic, in grey)
- Whip Scorpion (in lavender and black)
- Bee-Haw (in black)
- They See Me Rollin' (dung beetles rolling a poop, in heather blue)
- Et in Terra (dark green)
- Entomophagy (in blue and green)
At the Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, the gift shop is stocked with everything from T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, jewelry, books, posters, stickers, and note cards to lathe pens and insect-collecting equipment. See more at https://bohart.ucdavis.edu/line-gift-shop. Items may be purchased only in the gift shop, not online.
New items include tardigrade, bumble bee and monarch pens, monarch and stick insect stickers from a local artist, and a new mosquito stuffed toys or plushies, including a giant one that comes with viruses, said Brennen Dyer, the Bohart Museum's (specimen) collection manager.
Newest t-shirts are designed with tardigrades, also known as water bears. The Bohart Museum's tardigrade current collection includes some 25,000 slide-mounted specimens, and a six-foot-long concrete sculpture by Solomon Bassoff of North San Juan, Calif., graces the entrance to the Academic Surge building.
The Bohart Museum, founded in 1946, is directed by UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey. It houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens. In addition to its gift shop, it is also the home of a live petting zoo. The Bohart is closed on specific days during the holiday season. See hours on the website.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
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.
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.
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
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
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.
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.”
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Butterfly and monarch scientists will discuss their expertise at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on "Monarchs," set Saturday, Nov. 4 from 1 to 4 p.m.
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 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 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 iconic black and orange monarch butterfly is known for its astonishing long-distance annual migration and reliance on milkweed as its obligate larval host plant," according to a post on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). "Though genetically similar, there are two subpopulations of monarchs in North America, with the eastern population overwintering in Mexico and breeding in the midwestern states, and the western population overwintering in coastal California and fanning out across the west from Arizona to Idaho. Outside the U.S., there are at least 74 known populations of resident, non-migratory monarchs that have established around the world in the past 200 years, all with origins in North America (Nial et al. 2019)."
"Both North American migratory populations have declined over the past twenty years due to a suite of interrelated factors including habitat loss in breeding and overwintering sites, habitat degradation, disease, pesticide exposure, and climate change," CDFW says. "Recently the western population has experienced dramatic swings, for a low of less than 2,000 in 2020-21 to over 200,000 in 2021-22 (Xerces Society Western Monarch Count). While it is unclear which of the many factors are driving these dynamics, insect population commonly fluctuate from year to year. The overall downward trend remains concerning, particularly if the threats are not ameliorated. Though more research is needed, a stable population for western monarchs is likely closer to the historic averages in the 1980's, which are estimated to have ranged between one to four million overwintering butterflies."
"n 2014, monarchs were petitioned to be listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. In December 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that listing was warranted but precluded by other listing actions on its National Priority List. The monarch is currently slated to be listed in 2024."
The monarch population is in trouble. Says the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in a post on its website: "In the 1990s, hundreds of millions of monarchs made the epic flight each fall from the northern plains of the U.S. and Canada to sites in the oyamel fir forests in central Mexico, and more than a million monarchs overwintered in forested groves on the California coast. Now, researchers and community scientists estimate that only a fraction of the population remains—a decline of approximately 70% has been seen in central Mexico and a decline of >90% has been seen in California."
Resources/Further Reading:
- Monarch Butterfly, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Research Permits, CDFW
- Western Monarch Mllkweed Mapper
- Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program, Monarch Joint Venture
- Western Monarch Count, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
- Monarch Butterfly Conservation, Xerces Society
- Spreading Milkweed, Not Myths, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Habitat Corridor Project, Views on milkweed
- Tropical Milkweed Doesn't Deserve the Bad Rap, Bug Squad blog, views on the ban of tropical milkweed by UC Davis emeriti professors Art Shapiro and Hugh Dingle, and Washington State University entomologist David James, who studies migratory monarchs.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
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