Things That Go Bump and Boo in the Night

Senior museum scientist Steve Heydon strikes a pose.

The society's annual Halloween party in the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis, showcased a combination of insects and costumes.

A skull shared the habitat of the giant cave cockroach (Blaberus gigante), native to tropical Central America and northern South America. This cockroach is considered one of the largest cockroaches in the world, according to Wikipedia, with the male reaching lengths of 7.5 cm and the female, 10 cm. Its diet consists of everything from decaying plant material, fruits and seeds to dead insects and bat guano.

The partygoers? Senior museum scientist Steve Heydon came dressed as a witch.

Kate Brown, a third-year student at the UC Davis School of Medicine, donned Monarch butterfly wings.

Meanwhile, the Bohart Society members checked out the assorted insects, ranging from praying mantids to Madagascar hissing cockraoches to walking sticks. Entomologist Leia Matern of Woodland, who is studying for her master's degree at UC Davis, answered questions about a bug display to her curious daughter, Tilly.

The Bohart Museum Society is a campus and community support organization dedicated to supporting the mission of the museum, according to director Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology at UC Davis.  The museum, which houses neearly eight million insect specimens,  and the Bohart Museum Society are dedicated to teaching, research and public service.  "Our current growth is financed by memberships and your contributions," Kimsey said. (See membership benefits)

Meanwhile, the Bohart Museum is gearing up for its next Nov. 23rd open house. The theme: "Beauty and Beetles." It will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge building on Crocker Lane. See schedule of weekend open houses.  The museum is open to the public Mondays through Thursdays.