Bug Squad

UC Davis-based research involving the Grapevine Red Blotch Disease and the three-cornered alfalfa hopper, Spissistilus festinus, appears prominently in the news this week. It's the cover story of a special focus issue, "Disease Management in the Genomics Era," in the journal Phytopathology.

The architectural structure of a collapsed feral honey bee colony in a hollowed-out Eucalyptus tree in a secluded area near the Nut Tree Airport, Vacaville, now has a permanent home: the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis.

Western monarchs are on the move. In the Pacific Northwest, they're heading for coastal California, including Santa Cruz and Pacific Grove, for their overwintering spots. A few are tagged.

Everybody eats in the pollinator garden. Maybe not at the same time, but they all eat. We noticed a syrphid fly, aka flower fly/hover fly, heading toward a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) in our pollinator garden. Alas for the fly, it was occupied. Occupied by a honey bee (Apis mellifera). No worries.

Last spring you may have seen honey bees pollinating the showy pomegranate blossoms. The ancient fruit, first cultivated around 4000 B.C. in Persia and known as "the fruit of kings," bursts with flavor, antioxidants and medicinal qualities.