June Bugs at the Bohart

June can mean only one thing at the Bohart Museum of Entomology: a special program titled June Bugs!

It is set for Sunday (June 5), from 1 to 4 p.m., with admission, as always, free and open to the public. This special weekend opening is the sixth in a series that began in January, in acknowledgement that not everyone can visit the museum during its normal Monday through Thursday schedule.

This weekend’s program will feature the june bug, of course, also known as the green fruit beetle and the fig beetle (Cotinus mutabilis).

“The larvae feed on decaying fruit-plant material, and they can be common in compost piles in the central and southern states and southwestern United States in general,” said Professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart museum.

The adults, green and about 1.25 inches long, feed on ripe fruit, particularly figs, she said.

The museum, in 1124 Academic Surge, houses the seventh largest insect collection in North America — more than 7 million specimens, plus a live “petting zoo” that includes Madagascar hissing cockroaches and walking sticks. Visitors also are welcome to use the museum’s new public microscope, for close-up insect viewing.

A gift shop carries such items as t-shirts, sweat shirts, posters, insect nets, jewelry and insect candy.

The museum’s regular hours are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It is closed on Fridays and on major holidays. More information is available online or by contacting Yang, (530) 752-9464 or tabyang@ucdavis.edu.

UC Davis picnic at Six Flags

Staff Assembly has sold out of its allotment of tickets for UC Davis Day with the Oakland A’s (June 19), but all UC Davis affiliates, including those with the UC Davis Health System, and friends and families, are welcome to join the UC Davis Family Picnic at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

The picnic at the Vallejo theme park is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 6 (park hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.).

Tickets: $35 per person, for everyone 3 years old and up (children under 3 will be admitted free). The price includes an all-you-can-eat picnic (2-4 p.m.); the picnic includes barbecue hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, garden salad, Italian pasta, corn cobbettes, watermelon slices, ice cream sandwiches and soft drinks. (A vegetarian option is available).

Vouchers are available for $5 parking (normally $15).

Click here for the order form; the order deadline is July 25.