Bug Squad

They are two who make a difference. Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology, received the 2015 Distinguished Emeritus Award and Hugh Dingle, emeritus professor of entomology, received an Edward A.

What does a bee have in common with a bulldog? If you've ever been to Cornerstone Sonoma on Arnold Drive (Highway 121) in Sonoma, and admired the luxurious gardens and intriguing shops, you know. The bees go head-first in the blossoms and Axel, an English bulldog, goes head-first in a bucket.

Ever been to a Farmer's Market and picked up a jar of honey advertised as "organic?" Is it organic? And if you're a beekeeper, has a consumer ever asked you if your honey is organic? How do you know?

May is a few months away, but already there's strong interest in the line-up of speakers at the UC Davis Bee Symposium, set Saturday, May 9 in the UC Davis Conference Center. The theme? "Keeping Bees Healthy." An excellent topic.

The word is "bees" and "almonds" are their world. Right this very minute there are about 1.7 million colonies of bees pollinating California almonds. Since it takes two colonies to pollinate one acre, and California doesn't have that many bees, beekeepers throughout the nation trucked in some 1.