Bug Blog
Symphony in the Almonds
Symphony in the almond blossoms... There's a wild almond tree planted in a field off Bee Biology Road at the University of California, Davis, that's incredibly beautiful. Honey bees from the nearby...
Honey bee heading toward almonds blossoms on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee, packing pollen, in mid-flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A blur of bee wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Insects and Their Taste Receptors
If you want to know about the molecular neurobiology of feeding behavior in insects, then the University of California, Davis campus is the place to be on Wednesday, Feb. 27. Molecular...
Molecular neurobiologist Anupama Dahanukar of UC Riverside working with Drosophila cultures with junior specialist, Adriana Medina.
The Imposter
'Tis the season for the return of the insects. Many a honey bee foraged in the flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) last weekend. But wait, what's that? A spotted cucumber beetle...
Spotted cucumber beetle inside flowering quince blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee inside flowering quince blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Saving the Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee
It's good to see that the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and noted bumble bee expert Robbin Thorp of UC Davis have filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for...
Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp of UC Davis is a nationally known expert on bumble bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This photo of the rusty-patched bumble bee is the 2012 work of Christy Stewart at the Pheasant Branch Conservancy in Wisconsin.
Where the Yellow Pollen Came From
"Where'd that yellow pollen come from?" Beekeepers who watch their bees return to their hives with pollen loads like to guess the origin of the pollen. Red, yellow, blue, white... It's not unlike...
Pollen-packing honey bee cleaning her tongue as she heads for flowering quince. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee adjusting her load. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee gathering nectar and pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)