Essig Museum News

Keep up-to-date with the latest research, education, and events of the Essig Museum of Entomology, UC Berkeley's terrestrial arthropod collection (insects, spiders, scorpions, and their kin). Member of the Berkeley Natural History Museums.

Homecoming & Alumni Weekend

Join the Essig Museum in celebrating Homecoming & Alumni Weekend, featuring events all across the UC Berkeley campus. The Essig is hosting an open house 12:00 to 5:00pm on Friday and Saturday (October 1st and 2nd). We will be regulating the number of people in the museum. Masking is required (as demonstrated by Oski visting the Essig Garden).

Three-lined roach in the Bay Area

Luridiblatta trivittata, the three-lined roach, has been in the Bay Area at least since 2004. Originally from North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, it has become common in backyards from San Luis Obispo to El Dorado County. It prefers to stay outdoors, but occasionally wanders into homes. Learn more more about this charismatic cockroach.
Photo: Casey Hubble

New grants to digitizing the collections

The Essig Museum collection holds over five million specimens that support research in taxonomy, biogeography, and phylogenetics, and span over 120 years of environmental change in California. This year the Essig received two National Science Foundation collaborative digitization grants for Lepidoptera (LepNet project) and Hymenoptera (Big-Bee project) to continue our efforts to capture label data for our entire collection.

Essig Brunch Seminar Series

Fridays 10:10 - 11:00 am, 2063 Valley Life Science Building (new location)
A weekly seminar series run by the Entomology Students Organization featuring local and visiting researchers presenting a wide range of entomology topics. Open to the public.

Hybrid presentation: In-person (2063 VLSB) & Zoom ( https://berkeley.zoom.us/j/95226185972 )

Upcoming talks: (check the Essig Burnch website for updates)

Oct. 1: Nina Sokolov (UC Berkeley, PhD candidate, Boots lab)
     "Sierra Bee Virus project"

Oct. 8: Neil Tsutsui Lab (UC Berkeley)
     "Ant research in the Tsuitsui lab"

Oct. 15: Sean Perez (UC Berkeley, PhD candidate, Will lab)
     "The role of the microbiome in bombardier beetle chemistry"

Going to be in town and want to give a talk: email us at essig.museum@gmail.com

Essig Museum Notes from Nature UC Berkeley Berkeley Museums CalBug

Donate to the Essig Museum

If you have a specimen collection you would like to donate to the Essig Museum, please contact us at essig.museum@gmail.com. Or make a financial contribution at our Give To Cal site.