Master Gardeners of Ventura County
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Master Gardeners of Ventura County

Posts Tagged: Deep Look

The Glory of the Bindweed Turret Bees

If you've ever seen the nests of the bindweed turret bees, Diadasia bituberculata, and if you've ever tried to photograph these fast-flying bees, you know how speedy they are and how difficult they are to photograph. So when we viewed...

A bindweed turret bee, Diadasia bituberculata, foraging for pollen on bindweed, aka morning glory. (Photo by Rachel Vannette)
A bindweed turret bee, Diadasia bituberculata, foraging for pollen on bindweed, aka morning glory. (Photo by Rachel Vannette)

A bindweed turret bee, Diadasia bituberculata, foraging for pollen on bindweed, aka morning glory. (Photo by Rachel Vannette)

A close-up of a bindweed turret bee, Diadasia bituberculata (Photo by Rachel Vannette)
A close-up of a bindweed turret bee, Diadasia bituberculata (Photo by Rachel Vannette)

A close-up of a bindweed turret bee, Diadasia bituberculata (Photo by Rachel Vannette)

UC Davis community ecologist Rachel Vannette at work. She is an associate professor, Chancellor's Fellow and vice chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
UC Davis community ecologist Rachel Vannette at work. She is an associate professor, Chancellor's Fellow and vice chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

UC Davis community ecologist Rachel Vannette at work. She is an associate professor, Chancellor's Fellow and vice chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

A close-up of a turret formed by a bindweed turret bee. (Photo by Rachel Vannette)
A close-up of a turret formed by a bindweed turret bee. (Photo by Rachel Vannette)

A close-up of a turret formed by a bindweed turret bee. (Photo by Rachel Vannette)

Posted on Friday, August 11, 2023 at 4:39 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources

Ever Seen an Aphid Giving Birth?

You know those dratted aphids, those little pests that suck the very lifeblood out of your prized plants? Well, have you ever watched them give birth? They do, you know. Live births. The UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program says that...

A close-up of an aphid giving birth in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A close-up of an aphid giving birth in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A close-up of an aphid giving birth in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Another close-up of an aphid giving birth in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Another close-up of an aphid giving birth in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Another close-up of an aphid giving birth in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle, aka ladybug, chowing down on an aphid, while another
A lady beetle, aka ladybug, chowing down on an aphid, while another "waits its turn." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle, aka ladybug, chowing down on an aphid, while another "waits its turn." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The larvae of lady beetles also feast on aphids. This larva is getting its share. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The larvae of lady beetles also feast on aphids. This larva is getting its share. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The larvae of lady beetles also feast on aphids. This larva is getting its share. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 5:28 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Food, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management, Yard & Garden

Deep Look's Award-Winning Aphid Video by Josh Cassidy--and a UC Davis Entomologist's Role

(Editor's Note: Watch Josh Cassidy's Deep Look award-winning video on YouTube.) UC Cooperative Extension specialist and agricultural entomologist Ian Grettenberger of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology...

Cooperative Extension specialist and agricultural entomologist  Ian Grettenberger of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is shown in this frame in KQED's Deep Look video on aphids. The work of Josh Cassidy, it won an international nature award, the  equivalent of an Oscar. (Screen shot)
Cooperative Extension specialist and agricultural entomologist Ian Grettenberger of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is shown in this frame in KQED's Deep Look video on aphids. The work of Josh Cassidy, it won an international nature award, the equivalent of an Oscar. (Screen shot)

Cooperative Extension specialist and agricultural entomologist Ian Grettenberger of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is shown in this frame in KQED's Deep Look video on aphids. The work of Josh Cassidy, it won an international nature award, the equivalent of an Oscar. (Screen shot)

Posted on Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 8:31 AM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management, Yard & Garden

The Beckoning Bees at Bodega Bay

Head to the Bodega Bay in Sonoma County and you'll see little kids building sandcastles on the beaches.  But head to Bodega Head in the spring and summer,  and if you're lucky, you'll see female digger bees—bumble bee...

Digger bees, Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, building their nests in the sand cliffs off Bodega Head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Digger bees, Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, building their nests in the sand cliffs off Bodega Head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Digger bees, Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, building their nests in the sand cliffs off Bodega Head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

These are the turrets, aka
These are the turrets, aka "sandcastles," that digger bees build in the sand cliffs off Bodega Head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

These are the turrets, aka "sandcastles," that digger bees build in the sand cliffs off Bodega Head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A digger bee,  Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, heading toward her nest at Bodega Head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A digger bee, Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, heading toward her nest at Bodega Head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A digger bee, Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, heading toward her nest at Bodega Head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2021 at 3:18 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources

UC Davis Picnic Day: Prime Time for Blue Orchard Bees, Tsetse Flies and Mosquitoes

Ah, Saturday, April 17. It's the 107th Annual UC Davis Picnic Day! What's a picnic without bugs? This year's event, all virtual, is themed "Discovering Silver Linings," and you can do just that by watching the pre-recorded videos and by...

Posted on Friday, April 16, 2021 at 11:59 AM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management

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