Bug Squad

Oh, the bugs! Bigger. Better. Buglier. It was Saturday, April 18, the 103rd annual UC Davis Picnic Day, a campuswide open house, and several thousand folks filed into the Bohart Museum of Entomology to see the displays. The theme: "Bigger, Better, Buglier: Impressive Science.

In the human world, women may splash themselves with perfume to attract men, but did you know that in the orchid bee world, males gather perfume compounds to attract females? Heaven scent?

It's the place to "bee" on Sunday, May 7 at the University of California, Davis. You'll meet scientists, environmentalists and beekeepers; you can brush up on bee friendly plants; and you can learn why honey is "as good as gold.

The venomous black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus) is usually found in and around wood piles, beneath stones and rubble, and in cluttered areas of basements, sheds and garages. It can strike fear in the hearts of non-biologists.

Can dead bees sting? Yes, they can. Here's the scenario: Our pollinator garden is buzzing with the sights and sounds of honey bees. Ah, spring! A few feet away, California scrub jays are nesting in the cherry laurel hedges. They leave periodically to gather food for their young.