Bug Squad

The Daily Mail, UK, recently reported a tragic case of a fatal bee sting that occurred in a back yard in Hampton, near Solihull, West Midlands, England. A honey bee apparently stung a 47-year-old father on his foot and he went into anaphylactic shock.

If you're yearning to be a backyard beekeeper, "go native." "Go native" with native bees, that is. Many folks are building or buying bee condos to provide nesting sites for blue orchard bees (Osmia lignaria) and leafcutting bees (Megachile spp.).

Why would anyone want to study walking sticks (stick insects)? Well, why wouldn't anyone NOT want to? That's the question we ought to ask. Enter doctoral candidate Matan Shelomi of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

While other parts of the country are buried in snow, California's Central Valley is just finishing up its almond pollination season.

If there's anything better than a ladybug eating an aphid, it's a ladybug devouring dozens of aphids. Get 'em! Ladybugs--actually, they're "lady beetles"--are garden heroes. And that's the theme of the Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house on Sunday, March 2 from 1 to 4 p.m.