Lady beetles, aka ladybugs, are not the only insects that feed on aphids. So do the soldier beetles, family Cantharidae. They are sometimes known as leatherwings. Got roses? Got aphids? You may also have a good friend, the soldier beetle.
So here I am, a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, just enjoying the nectar on this tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, in Vacaville, Calif. Some folks call me "The teddy bear bee." Yes, I like that nickname.
The predator and the prey... Or the predator-to-bee. Currently, honey bees are foraging on our tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, in our family's pollinator garden in Vacaville, Calif. It's a veritable tower of bees.
I just wanted to thank you! You are my heroes. So began an unsolicited email to UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal, who organized and moderated a UC Davis-based COVID-19 virtual symposium spotlighting the expertise of physicians, scientists and a COVID-19 survivor.
Watch out, lygus bugs! Agricultural entomologist Emily Bick is targeting you. Lygus hesperus, a serious pest of strawberries--as well as cotton, and seed crops such as alfalfa--causes an estimated $40 million in annual losses to California's strawberry industry.
