Bug Squad

In an era when folks say they have no clue what nematology is, it's gratifying to see it make the headlines.

Seen any Pipevine Swallowtails lately? The UC Davis Ecological Garden is teeming with eggs, larvae, pupa and adults. The butterflies there seem particularly fond of nectaring on Jupiter's beard, Centranthus ruber.

Congratulations to emeritus Cooperative Extension specialist Vernard Lewis of UC Berkeley, selected to deliver the Founders' Memorial Lecture at the 2021 annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), set Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at the Colorado Convention Center, Denver.

Botanists Beverly Rathcke (1945-2011) and Jeanne Baret would have been proud. In their lifetimes, they didn't receive nearly enough credit for their work, but now they are memorialized in the names of newly described species of bacteria from the genus Acinetobacter that are specialized to flowers.

It's World Bee Day, as declared by the United Nations. "The fourth observance of World Bee Day will be celebrated--in the midst of a still ongoing pandemic--with a virtual event organized by the FAO on 20 May 2021 under the theme Bee engaged Build Back Better for Bees.