Bug Blog
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)
Do You Know What's In a Hedgerow?
If you like to see lady beetles devouring aphids or assassin bugs piercing spotted cucumber beetles, then you'll love the workshop taking place Saturday, April 11 in rural Zamora, Yolo...
A lady beetle, aka ladybug, devouring an aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An assassin bug, a beneficial insect, targeting a pest, a spotted cucumber beetle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A green lacewing looking for love. Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Mosquitoes Take the Spotlight: Front Line and Center
Mosquitoes will take the spotlight, front line and center, this month. On Wednesday, April 8, Regents Professor Michael Strand of the University of Georgia, Athens, and internationally recognized...
Aedes aegypti feeding on its host. (Photo by Jena Johnson)
Hear the Buzz, Feel the Buzz, Capture the Buzz
Hear the buzz, feel the buzz, capture the buzz! With your camera! If you're into pollinators, plants and photography, and want to share your work nationally, here's a new project for you. To...
A black-tailed bumble bee (Bombus melanopygus) foraging on Spanish lavender, while a honey bee buzzes in to get her share. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bees lovin' the Spanish lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)