The open house, themed "Social Wasps," is free and family friendly. Parking is also free.

Kimsey defines social wasps as "wasps that live together and cooperate in a colony, with female workers and a queen; only the queen has babies."

What drew her to study social wasps?  "I just like stinging things in general and their anatomy and social behavior are really interesting."

Kimsey lists some of the common myths about social wasps as:

• They are often seen as malevolent beings out to get you and will chase you
• That they serve no purpose except to annoy us
• If you're allergic to bee stings you'll be allergic to wasp stings
• A copper penny place on a sting will make it go away

The public should know that social wasps "provide valuable ecosystem services; do pest control, and assist in nutrient recycling and pollination," she said.

"There are about 2,000 described species of social wasps worldwide," Kimsey said, and probably around 500 species undescribed. 

The Bohart Museum has approximately 50,000 vespids in its collection, "and clearly the most popular is the Northern giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia," she said. The press dubbed it "murder hornet." The Entomological Society of America recently changed its common name, "the Asian giant hornet," to "northern giant hornet."

The northern giant hornet, dubbed "murder hornet." (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Agriculture)

The hornet, about two inches long and considered the world's largest hornet, is native to Asia. It was first detected in the Pacific Northwest in 2019. Nests were found in 2021.

Kimsey is a recognized authority on insect biodiversity, systematics and biogeography of parasitic wasps, urban entomology, civil forensic entomology, and arthropod-related industrial hygiene. She holds bachelor and doctoral degrees from UC Davis. She joined UC Davis entomology faculty in 1989 and has served as director of the Bohart Museum since 1990.

She plans to retire this year, but not from research and public service.

Kimsey served as president of the International Society of Hymenopterists from 2002-2004, and as a member of the board of directors of the Natural Science Collections Alliance in 2000 and 2001. The Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA) singled her out for its highest honor, the C. W. Woodworth Award, in 2020. She received the PBESA Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Award in 2014 and was a member of 'The Bee Team' that won the PBESA Outstanding Team Award in 2013. The UC Davis Academic Senate honored her with its Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award in 2016 in recognition of her outstanding work. She received the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) Exceptional Faculty Award in 2023.

The Bohart Museum also houses a live "petting zoo" (Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects, tarantulas and more), and an insect-themed gift shop. 

For more information, contact the Bohart Museum at [email protected] or access the website at https://bohart.ucdavis.edu