Bug Blog
Kate Frey: Bee Gardens Make Us Happy
Whether you plant them, nurture them, or walk through them, bee gardens make us happy. That's what world-class pollinator garden designer, pollinator advocate and author Kate Frey told the crowd at...
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, on Salvia "Indigo Spires" in Kate Frey's pollinator garden at the Sonoma Cornerstone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
In the Loop--on the Mustard
Ever seen this mottled brownish/blackish/grayish moth around lately? The alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica? We spotted this moth, as identified by Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished...
The alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica, nectaring on mustard blossoms in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Spreading its wings, the alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica, is oblivious to the photographer.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Side view of the alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Boys Are Back in Town
The boys are back in town! Well, at least one is. We don't know where the girls are. Neither, apparently, does he. A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, aka "the teddy bear bee," buzzed...
A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, nectars on a a mustard blossom in Vacaville, Calif. on Sunday, March 25. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Peek-a-bee! The male Valley carpenter bee peers at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
We have lift-off! The teddy bear bee, Xylocopa varipuncta,leaves a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Field Day for Learning About Cover Crops and Beneficial Insects
So you're a rural landowner thinking about planting cover crops in your fields or orchards. And/or, you want to learn more about beneficial insects. You're in luck. The Xerces Society for...
Larva of lady beetle munching on an aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keeatley Garvey)
A multi-colored Asian beetles snags an aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
These are lady beetle eggs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
How to Become a California Master Beekeeper
So you want to become a California Master Beekeeper. Yes! You can begin the process by registering on the California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP) website, announced program director and...
This was the scene at the Harry H. Laidlaw Research Facility, UC Davis, for a testing of applicants for the California Master Beekeeper Program. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An applicant for California Master Beekeeper examines a frame, while a proctor looks on. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Here are many of the apprentice-level graduates, Class of 2017, California Master Beekeeper Program. They were introduced and honored at the fourth annual UC Davis Bee Symposium. In the front row, fourth from left, is director Elina Lastro Niño. At far left, front row, is Bernardo Niño, the founding program manager. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)