Bug Squad

They're not exactly cute, cuddly little critters. Some folks say they look like miniature alligators or "ugly, spiky orange-and-black buggy thingies.

The alliteration doesn't get much better--bees buzzing on breathtaking berry blossoms. Berry blossoms are in full bloom in the UC Davis Ecological Garden of the Student Farm, part of the UC Agricultural Sustainabilty Institute.

They're curious little critters. When solider beetles (family Cantharidae) go on patrol in your garden, don't kill them. They're not being deployed to harm you. They're the good guys. They eat aphids and other soft-bodied insects.

You'll enter the world of parasitic worms, poverty and solutions when you listen to the virtual seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology on Wednesday, April 6.

Ever watched a bumble bee ballet? Bumble bees may look clumsy in flight, but they get the job done. We recently marveled at the yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, foraging on lacy phacelia, Phacelia tanacetifolia, on the UC Davis campus. This is a native bumble bee and a native plant.