Bohart Museum Of Entomology

The museum is not like your typical «museum.» There’s not a lot of walking space or gallery upon gallery of crazy cool art or anything, but it’s intriguing for people who love insects. I loved visiting. They had a wide array of amazing insect collections from around the world. They are open to the public and the staff is very friendly. It is well organized and kid-​friendly. There’s a lot to see with a mini shop at the entrance/​exit. They have millipedes, tarantulas, roaches, walking sticks and other crawling insects to hold if you wish. Definitely a cool, fun place to check out on campus!

This is certainly one of the coolest things that nobody knows about on campus. It’s hiding away where no one could ever stumble upon it by accident, and it’s a shame. The place is jammed full of fascinating bugs, enough to intrigue even those of us who find them kind of creepy. By all means go along a with a tour though, there is just no way you can experience it by yourself.
The one fault, I once had a TA who held office hours in here, not a good idea. It’s hard to concentrate with all the distractions, tour groups, and giant cages of bugs going this way and that, all while I was trying to understand the role of parasitoids in population control.

Bugs are cool! Betcha didn’t know that the seventh largest worldwide collection of them in No. America is nearby at UC Davis. They also boast the second largest mosquito collection — shhh, don’t tell Bill Gates!
This was my second visit, this time with kids on a field trip. The collection is vast — so extensive that they have installed rolling bookcases to house the specimens.
Our 45 minute tour led us through some of the cases and then on to live specimens which included a giant millipede, hissing cockroaches, a scorpion, black widow, tarantula, walking sticks, and a leaf bug. Our group of little bookworms with ants in their pants was enchanted!
The museum is open to visitors from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Wise people call first before they go to ensure the museum is available.
While there is a small charge for tour led groups, the museum is free for general admission. But don’t be a stink bug; put some money in the donation box.