Bug Squad

The boys are back in town. After the long winter and rainy spring, the boys are back in town. That would be the male Valley carpenter bees, Xylocopa varipuncta, or what Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, calls "the teddy bear bees.

When you're a little kid and there's a huge bee towering over you, what do you do? You do what comes naturally.

Insects can tell us a lot about human longevity. James R. Carey, UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology, will discuss "What Can Insect Studies Tell Us about Longevity and Aging? Lots!" at his UC Davis Emeriti Association presentation at 11:30 a.m., Thursday, May 9 in the Walter A.

If you want to be a beekeeper, you must think like a bee, not like a beekeeper. So says beekeeper/journalist Kim Flottum, who has served as the editor of Bee Culture magazine for more than three decades.

Show me the honey! You'll see scores of honey varietals at the third annual California Honey Festival on Saturday, May 4. And you can sample the honey, ask questions, and purchase it--the soul of a field of flowers.