Learning the Life Cycle of Bees
“Just like butterflies, bees undergo metamorphosis. They hatch from eggs into worm-like larvae and eat pollen and nectar until they are large enough to pupate. As they pupate, their bodies are restructured and they emerge as the adult bees we’re familiar with.”
So read a poster displayed by UC Davis entomology doctoral candidate Alexia “Lexie” Martin when the Bohart Museum of Entomology hosted an open house on life stages of insects.
Martin, a member of the lab of community ecologist Rachel Vannette, associate professor and vice chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, discussed the life cycle of bumble bees (genus Bombus) and the blue orchard bee, Osmia lignaria (family Megachilidae), two bees that she studies.
The blue orchard bee (known as BOB and pictured on the cover ) is prized for its efficiency of pollinating fruit trees. "In fact, just 250-300 females will pollinate an entire acre of apples or cherries," according to the USDA's Agricultural Research Service.
Visitors looked through a microscope to watch live blue orchard bee larvae eating pollen and spinning their cocoons. They also observed the life cycle of preserved bumble bees and touched bee nesting materials.
For the occasion, Martin donned a bee antennae headband and a "Bee-Haw" T-shirt, designed and sold by UC Davis Entomology Graduate Student Association. (The T-shirts are available online.)
Martin, who anticipates receiving her doctorate in 2026, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and serves as president of the UC Davis Entomology Graduate Student Association.
The Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus, is the home of a worldwide collection of eight million insect specimens. It also maintains a live petting zoo (Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects, tarantulas and more) and a gift shop stocked with insect-related items: books, posters, T-shirts, hoodies, candy and insect collecting equipment.
The museum is directed by Professor Jason Bond, the Evett and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in the Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The next Bohart Museum open house will be Moth Night on Saturday, July 12 from 7 to 11 p.m. A black-lighting display illuminated with ultraviolet (UV) lights will be set up directly outside the museum to attract night-flying insects. Inside, scientists will display moth specimens and field questions. The event is free and family friendly. Parking is also free. For more information, access the Bohart website or email bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.
