Bug Squad

In the movie, "Field of Dreams," an Iowa corn farmer hears a voice whispering "If you build it, he will come." Apparently thinking this is the voice of his father, the farmer plows under his corn and builds a baseball field. We are hearing a similar whisper as spring approaches.

"A" is for almonds and "Z" is for Zamora. Mark your calendar for Tuesday, March 15 for a two-hour workshop, "Almond Pollination and Orchard Pollinator Planters" in Zamora, Yolo County. It's free and open to the public.

If you're a California commercial citrus grower or a homeowner with a citrus tree on your property, be sure to check for signs of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). Think ACP. Think HLB. Think ASAP.

So you want to become a Master Beekeeper. You don't want to just keep bees, you want to devote your life to learning more about them and understanding them. And you want to engage in public service.

Nathaniel Haddon of the Vaca Valley 4-H Club, Vacaville, is only nine years old, but he already knows more about honey bees than many adults do. He readily names the three castes: queen bee, worker bee and drone.