Bugs reign, especially at picnics.
And especially at the campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day.
What will be buzzing, racing or crawling at Briggs Hall during the 111th annual Picnic Day on Saturday, April 12?
Bees, cockroaches and maggots.
The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology encourages you to root for the roaches (Roach Races), cheer for the maggots (Maggot Art), and view all the educational and entertaining exhibits and displays at Briggs Hall.
Yes, they may bug ya to do so.
Co-chairs of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) Picnic Day Committee are doctoral candidate Lexie Martin of the lab of community ecologist Rachel Vannette, associate professor and vice chair of the department; and doctoral candidate Emma "Em" Jochim of the lab of professor and arachnologist Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair of ENT, who holds three other titles: associate dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology; and president-elect of the American Arachnological Society.
Serving with them are doctoral student Iris Quayle of the Bond lab, and doctoral candidate Veronica Casey of the lab of nematologist Shahid Siddique, associate professor.
This is the second consecutive year that all things entomological, including the Bohart Museum of Entomology pop-up tent, will be at Briggs Hall. (The Bohart Museum, headquartered in the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane, will be closed on Picnic Day.)
Besides the roach races and maggot art, you'll see a Bug Doctor booth staffed by the graduate students (ask them anything about bugs) and booths showcasing medical entomology, pollinators, glowing bugs, integrated pest management (IPM), and nematodes. T-shirts, new and fan favorities, will be available at the Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) booth.
Roach races will occur from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Maggot art will take place from 9 to 3. The pollinator display and IPM booth will be open from 9 to 3. Everything else will be open from 9 to 5, the co-chair said. The Bohart Museum's pop-up tent is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m.
Here's a brief glimpse of two of the most popular activities:
Cockroach Races
Front of Briggs Hall
American cockroaches, Periplaneta americana, from a UC Davis 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.)
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 UC Davis forensic graduate student, coined the educational teaching curriculum, "Maggot Art," 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.
Stay tuned for more information about bugs at Briggs. Because....what's a picnic without bugs?