Bug Squad

How are the bees doing? When the American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) meets Jan. 9-13 at the Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, Nev. for its 75th annual American Beekeeping Federation Conference & Tradeshow, the key concern is bee health. Sadly, colony losses continue to take their toll.

Most people avoid a hornet's nest. Not environmental artist Ann Savageau; the retired UC Davis Department of Design professor creates art from hornet nest paper. "I began using hornet nest paper back in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Insects as art! The shapes, the colors...Bees, beetles, butterflies... Capture images of the bees, create sculptures from beetle galleries, and depict insect motifs on clothing... Don't miss the unique exhibition, It's Bugged: Insects' Role in Design, set Jan.

A major citrus pest may experience a Bah, Humbug! kind of year.

Bring on the bumble bees! In yesterday's Bug Squad blog, we mentioned the unusual first-of-the-year bumble bee sightings at the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park. We captured images of the yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, nectaring on jade, Crassula ovata, the morning of Jan.