Bug Blog
Color Them Hungry
As summer nears its end, the honey bees are hungry. That's why Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology advocates that we plant flowers for late...
A honey bee foraging on a blanket flower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee on sedum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee on a blanket flower (Gaillardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee heading toward a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Labor Day Travails
Today (Labor Day) began just like any other day. And it ended just like any other day, except for the Labor Day celebrations that we humans plan. For Nature's predators and prey that frequent our...
Western spotted orb weaver snares and wraps a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The spider's spots are visible in this photo. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
After tugging the honey bee into the tower of jewels, the spider proceeds to eat it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This honey bee narrowly missed being a target of the spider. It is nectaring on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Why Honey Bees Need Water
Ever seen honey bees foraging for water on your outdoor clothesline? When Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the University of California, Davis, addresses beekeeping associations, he tells them...
A Carniolan honey bee sipping water from a fountain. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A yellowjacket joins honey bees in seeking water. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee, caught in flight, ready to join her sisters in gathering water. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Off to See the Butterflies
If you're not around the University of California, Davis, on Sunday morning, Sept. 29, you should be. You'll want to join the Butterfly Ecology Talk and Tour presented by naturalist Steve...
This photo, by Stephen Daubert, is of a variable checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona).
Participants on the Sept. 29 tour may be able to see an alfalfa sulfur butterfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Acrobatic Spider
Oh, what serious webs they weave. Perfect concentric circles. Perfect for snagging prey. Perfect for capturing a few photographic images. Orb weavers take on the classic shape popularized by...
A western spotted orb weaver, Neoscona oaxacensis, finishing its web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Western spotted orb weaver patrolling its web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Note the round or globular abdomen on this western spotted orb weaver. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)