Bug Squad

The honey bees are hungry. Those venturing out from their colonies as the temperatures edge toward 55 degrees or more aren't finding much. It's the dead of winter. Spring seems so distant. But wait, the flowering quince is blooming.

"Helping Bees Stand on Their Own Six Feet." Yes, honey bees have six feet, and that's the title of a keynote speech to be presented May 9 at the University of California, Davis by Distinguished McKnight Professor and 2010 MacArthur Fellow Marla Spivak of the University of Minnesota.

What's killing the honey bees? The email arrived in my UC Davis inbox at 9:10 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 8. An employee from the UC Davis Plumbing Shop wondered what was happening in front of the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on the UC Davis campus.

A recent article in Science magazine, headlined Plan to Save Monarch Butterflies Backfires, is getting a lot of attention. And UC Davis butterfly expert Art Shapiro, distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, is getting a lot of inquiries.

What's stressing our honey bees and how are they impacted? You'll learn more about honey bees if you attend the Crop Pollination Workshop next month.