Bug Blog

Diggin' the Digger Bees

Do you dig digger bees (Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana)?They're populating the sandy cliffs of Bodega Head, Sonoma County. A sure sign of their presence: dense clusters of turrets. When they're...

Digger Bees

DIGGER BEES head for their nests on a sandy cliff by Bodega Head, Sonoma County. The entrance turrets are easily seen here. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Building a Nest

HOME SWEET HOME--This digger bee is burrowing in a sandy cliff at Bodega Head, Sonoma County. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Mud Carrier

CARRYING MUD, this digger bee is making an entrance turret in a sandy cliff by Bodega Head, Sonoma County. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

All Hail the Drones!

Drones--male bees--are a favorite of youthful visitors at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, University of California, Davis.Drones have no stingers, so they can't sting. In fact,...

Emerging Drone

A DRONE, a male bee, emerges from a drone comb. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Thank you

ELIZABETH FROST, staff research associate and beekeeper at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis, displays the clever thank-you card made by second graders at the Grace Valley Christian Academy, Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Colorful Bees

COLORFUL BEES, created by second graders at the Grace Valley Christian Academy, Davis, decorate the inside of the thank-you card, given to Elizabeth Frost (shown), staff research associate at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Saying it With Flowers--And Bugs

Michael Parrella knows his bugs--and flowers.Flowers?He was just elected a member of California Floriculture Hall of Fame for distinguished leadership and service to the floral industry. Bugs?In 2008...

Tower of Jewels

A HONEY BEE heads for a tower of jewels (Echium wildprettii), a plant that can grow nine feet tall. Several towers of jewels were planted last fall at the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. They are scheduled to bloom next spring.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Haven for Diversity

The Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven at the Harry H. Laidlaw Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, University of California, Davis, is a study in diversity.Bees, including honey bees, bumble...

Sharing

HONEY BEE (Apis mellifera) and a yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) share a purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven at UC Davis. The grand opening celebration of the half-acre garden, planted last fall, is set from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Two Bees

HONEY BEE and a sweat bee occupy a purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sunny Sunflowers

If you enjoy sunflowers--and the seeds and oil--thank a bee.Sunflowers, native to the Americas, are spectacular, especially when you encounter a field of them. If you look closely, you'll see honey...

Sunflower Field

HEADS of sunflowers follow the sun in what scientists call heliotropism. These sunflowers are in a field off Pedrick Road, Dixon, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bee Hives

BEE HIVES line a sunflower field along Pedrick Road, Dixon, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey Bee

HONEY BEE forages on a sunflower head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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