Bohart Museum hosts afternoon of insect fun
Lady beetles may be the best known, but species of beetles cover a wide spectrum. Learn about some of them Sunday at UC Davis.
Kathy Morrison
Beetles are more than lady bugs — as wonderful as those spotted insect stars are. Beetles form the order Coleoptera, the largest and most diverse group of insects, with more than 250,000 described species.
This weekend, the researchers at the Bohart Museum of Entomology will show visitors a sample of the amazing beetle species that inhabit our world.
The museum on the UC Davis campus holds its first open house of 2023 this Sunday, Jan. 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. (Parking on Sundays is free, too.)
This is a family-friendly event, including an arts-and-crafts activity involving a drawing of a carrion beetle.
The Bohart Museum is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, on campus. It houses more than 8 million insect specimens, as well as a live petting zoo. (Ever petted a Madagascar hissing cockroach?)
UC Davis graduate student and researcher Tracie Hayes (the artist of the carrion beetle) will be a presenter Sunday, along with beetle specialist Fran Keller, biology professor at Folsom Lake College, and Cal Fire bark beetle specialist Curtis Ewing.
For more on the Bohart Museum, go to https://bohart.ucdavis.edu/
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For week of March 26:
Sacramento can expect another inch of rain from this latest storm. Leave the sprinklers off at least another week. Temps will dip down into the low 30s early in the week, so avoid planting tender seedlings (such as tomatoes). Concentrate on these tasks before or after this week’s rain:
* Fertilize roses, annual flowers and berries as spring growth begins to appear.
* Knock off aphids with a strong blast of water or some bug soap as soon as they appear.
* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.
* Prepare summer vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.
* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.
* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.
* Feed citrus trees, which are now in bloom and setting fruit.
To prevent sunburn and borer problems on young trees, paint the exposed portion of the trunk with diluted white latex (water-based) interior paint. Dilute the paint with an equal amount of cold water before application.
* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.
* Seed and renovate the lawn (if you still have one). Feed cool-season grasses such as bent, blue, rye and fescue with a slow-release fertilizer. Check the irrigation system and perform maintenance. Make sure sprinkler heads are turned toward the lawn, not the sidewalk.
* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and kale.
* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground.
* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.
* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.
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