Bug Blog
A Honey of a Day, a Honey of a Picnic
It promises to be a "honey of a day" and a "honey of a picnic" at the 101st annual UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, April 18. Lots of activities are planned campuswide, but let's focus on the bees,...
Beekeepers like to sample honey fresh from a comb. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This was the scene of last year's honey tasting event at Briggs Hall. That's Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen, now retired, staffing the table. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Just Buggin' Ya! The Good, The Bad and the Bugly
In Journalism 101, students learn that news stories need the Four Ws--who, what, when, where and why" and the H--"how come." But when it comes to UC Davis Picnic Day 101, the "101" doesn't mean...
UC Davis professor Diane Ullman created this maggot art last year during the UC Davis Picnic Day. Maggots are dipped into non-toxic, water-based paint and allowed--or encouraged--to roam. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey will answer questions at his Dr. Death booth in 122 Briggs Hall. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Entomologist Fran Keller, who received her doctorate at UC Davis, is a regular at the Bohart Museum open houses. Here she's staffing the gift shop. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Flameskimmers Are Back!
The flameskimmers are back! We've been waiting for the new generation of flameskimmers, aka firecracker skimmers (Libellula saturata), to visit our yard after the long winter. On Sunday, a male...
The flameskimmer or firecracker skimmer (Libellula saturata) perches on a bamboo stake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Flameskimmer in motion. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Thinking of Becoming a Commercial Beekeeper?
So you're thinking of become a commercial beekeeper and renting your colonies to almond growers. California currently grows some 900,000 acres of almonds, and each acre requires two colonies...
A queen bee and her retinue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Smoking a hive. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Love the List
Bees and other pollinators may have a tough time during the fourth year of California's severe drought, as they search for nectar and pollen. Expect to see many plants wither, wilt and die due to the...
A honey bee foraging on anemone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A cuckoo bee foraging on a gum plant. This insect is Triepeolus (maybe Epeolus), says native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, distingished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis. The little bug on the right appears to be a lygaeid bug nymph, according to Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) is a drought-tolerant annual. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)