What's Buzzing, Crawling and Racing at UC Davis Picnic Day

What's buzzing, racing and crawling at Briggs Hall--the home of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT)--during the 111th annual campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, April 12?

Bees, cockroaches and maggots, to be specific!

All of the department's entomological exhibits will be at Briggs Hall.  This includes a pop-up tent from the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (The Bohart Museum headquarters in the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, will be closed Picnic Day).

Bees? Exhibits from the lab of community ecologist Rachel Vannette, associate professor and chair of ENT; and specimens from the Bohart Museum of Entomology's pop-up tent. The Vannette display will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Bohart pop-up tent from 1 to 4 p.m. 

Cockroaches? The roach races, at which roaches scurry down the track, and the crowd cheers for their favorite. The races will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Maggots?  Maggot Art involves two artists--the maggots and individual youths and adults. They dip a maggot into water-based, non-toxic paint and let it crawl--or be guided--to create art on paper, a conversation piece suitable for framing or to post on the refrigerator door. This hands-on activity will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 

Most of the activities at Briggs Hall are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Other exceptions (besides those listed above) include the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program booth, open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Traditionally, the Picnic Day Committee is chaired by a member of the Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) and a faculty member. This year's chairs are doctoral candidate Emma "Em" Jochim of the lab of professor and arachnologist Jason Bond,  and Marshall McMunn, assistant professor of teaching.  Doctoral candidate Veronica Casey of the lab of nematologist Shahid Siddique, associate professor, is the co-chair. Other committee members are EGSA members Iris Quayle, Curtis Carlson and Nicole Rodrigues.

McMunn replaces forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey, who retired from his faculty appointment last June. Kimsey had served as co-chair of Picnic Day since 1995.

"We are super busy with preparations for Picnic Day!" Casey said. "There will be cutouts in front of Briggs for visitors to take pictures with. T-shirts are restocked and ready to go, with some new designs and styles. We'll have a bunch of exhibits in Briggs Hall, Room 122, such as the entomology table, pollinator exhibit, glowing bugs, and the nematology table. In front of Briggs there will be cockroach races, the T-shirt table, vector control, and Bug Doctor. In the courtyard, there will be maggot art, Davis Fly Fishers and their fly-tying demonstrations, and the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. There will be lots to explore and visitors can check out some fun information posters in the hallway."

List of Events and Activities

Bug Doctor
Briggs Hall Entryway
Graduate students will answer questions about insects. "What's that bug?" "How can I control ants in my kitchen?" Visitors are encouraged to bring an insect or photo of the insect they want identified. 

Bohart Museum of Entomology Pop-Up Tent
Grounds of Briggs Hall
A pop-up tent, staffed by the Bohart Museum, will feature the "Oh, My" drawers and a petting zoo of stick insects (walking sticks) and Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Visitors can test their insect-collecting skills by netting a  replica of a butterfly and winning a Bohart Museum poster.

Fly-Tying
Briggs Hall Courtyard
Fly Fishers of Davis, comprised of area anglers who love to fly fish, will show attendees how to tie a fly. The finished flies are a gift to the attendees.

EGSA T-Shirts and Stickers
Front of Briggs
EGSA will be selling assorted T-shirts  and its newly designed T-shirt, "Scream," the work of Abigail Lehner, doctoral candidate in the lab of pollination ecologist Neal Williams, professor.  "The 'Entomology Gothic' shirt is very popular and so myself, Iris Quayle, and Lexie Martin were discussing what other art inspired entomology shirts would be fun to create," Lehner said. "We loved the idea of the Scream with an insect and then it clicked--why would an insect 'feel' the emotions (i.e.  anxiety, fear, etc) elicited by the Scream? Because it was about to be squished! I had a lot of fun creating the scene in the style of the painting and I hope others can enjoy it too!" The insect: the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana. 

The all-time best seller is The Beetles, a take-off of the cover of The Beetles' Abbey Road album. However, instead of the Beatles--John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star-- crossing the road in a single file, four beetles (family names Phengogidae, Curculionidae, Cerambycidae and Scarabaeidae) do so.  Other popular T-shirts include Entomo Gothic (a play on the American Gothic), Whip Scorpion, Bee Haw, and They See Me Rollin' (dung beetles). 

New stickers available for sale are the "100 percent Beetle Juice" and "Carcinization VII,"  from the director of "Coleoptera Radiation."

Carnivorous Plants for Sale
Front of Briggs
Visitors may purchase carnivorous plants, grown by faculty and students.

Cardboard Cutouts
Front of Briggs
Cardboard cutouts of assorted insects will be set up so visitors can take images of them with themselves. 

Cockroach Races
Front of Briggs 
American cockroaches, Periplaneta americana, from forensic lab, race on a specially made track, while roach fans cheer for their favorites. (Sometimes the athletes are named for faculty, friends or bystanders.)

'Glowing Bugs'
122 Briggs
Assorted arthropods (hornworm, scorpion, and millipede) that glow under UV light will be displayed, coordinated by the lab of urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke, assistant professor. They  seek to "highlight the interplay between light, color, and species interactions." 

Ian Grettenberger Lab
122 Briggs
The lab of Ian Grettenberger, assistant professor of Cooperative Extension, will greet guests with an insight into agricultural crops and pests. 

Maggot Art
Briggs Courtyard 
Artists--children and adults alike--create maggot art by dipping a live maggot into water-based, non-toxic paint. It's suitable for framing (or at least a spot on the refrigerator door). Rebecca O'Flaherty, a former graduate student of Bob Kimsey's, coined the educational teaching curriculum,  "Maggot Art," back in 2001 when she was studying at the University of Hawaii. She was rearing blowflies for her forensic research and wanted an activity to draw the interest of elementary school students.  She also wanted to generate interest and respect for forensic entomology. Her Maggot Art quickly drew national interest. The CSI television show featured one of her works, “Ancient Offering,”  which hung on the permanent set in Gil Grissom's office. O'Flaherty also exhibited her work at art shows, including a two-month exhibition at the Capital Athletic Club, Sacramento, in 2007.

Medical Entomology
122 Briggs
Mosquito research and images from the lab of medical entomologist-geneticist Geoffrey Attardo,, is being organized by Carla-Cristina “CC” Edwards, a second-year doctoral student in his lab and the newly elected chair of the Young Professionals (YPs) of the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA).  (See news story)

Mosquito Control Booth
Entrance to Briggs (below front steps)
Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District will be providing information on mosquitoes, answering questions, and offering give-a-ways. 

Nematodes
122 Briggs
The Siddique lab will display live and specimen nematodes. Visitors will learn about beneficial nematodes and observe the ones that parasitize animals and plants. "You can take home your own fuzzy toy worm or a scientific sticker!" said doctoral candidate Veronica Casey of the Siddique lab.

UC  Statewide Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) 
Briggs Hall Courtyard
IPM will share educational information, answer questions, invite the crowd to spin a wheel for prizes, and give away live lady beetles (aka ladybugs) and (temporary) insect tattoos.

President of EGSA is doctoral candidate Lexie Martin of the Rachel Vannette lab.