Bees, Wannabes, and a Day Volunteering at Bohart Museum

I spent a day at the Bohart Museum of Entomology for an outreach event all about bees, wasps, and the many insects that imitate their warning signals. Public interest in pollinators has grown in recent years, but most people are familiar with only a narrow slice of the diversity of invertebrates and the ecosystem services they provide.

At my flip-station, visitors guessed whether an insect could sting or pollinate, then flipped the card to test their knowledge. Hoverflies pretending to be stinging defenders. Robber flies that weaponize the look while hunting. Clearwing moths that blur the line between bee, wasp, and butterfly. Even harvester ants turned out to be stingers in disguise. Kids were quick with the basics, they knew flies can’t sting, and they knew that most bees and wasps can, but there were plenty of surprises still. Seeing these patterns up close made it clear that mimicry isn’t just a visual trick; it’s a window into predator pressures, competitive interactions, and the trade-offs that shape entire communities.