Bug Squad

The posters displayed at the Bruce Hammock Alumni Lab Reunion last August in the UC Davis Conference Center epitomized state-of-the-art scientific research. Typical of the posters, all by Hammock lab affiliates: "Insect Gut--Pathogen Molecular Interactions" by Bryony C.

They're baking in France. The village of Villevieille recorded an historical high temperature of 113.2 degrees Fahrenheit on June 28. The villagers probably wish they were at the University of California, Davis, where plans are underway for the 16th annual Bruce Hammock Lab Water Balloon Battle.

"The Redcoats are coming! The Redcoats are coming!" So shouted American Revolutionary patriot Paul Revere during his historical ride. Those who responded to the colonial revolt included my immigrant ancestors: the Keatleys, Laughlins and Agees. They left their farms and took up arms.

If you like to eat a variety of foods and if you like to wear cotton, you ought to be concerned about plant-parasitic nematodes.

If a dragonfly lands on your window screen and rests there for several hours, is that good luck? A female red rock skimmer, Paltothemis lineatipes, did just that. She was several feet from our fish pond and several yards from our pollinator garden. And inches from where we stood.