Bug Squad

If you plant a bottlebrush in your yard, you'll experience a brush with kindness. This time of year there's not much food for honey bees to eat. Bottlebrush, in the genus Callistemon and family Myrtaceae, fits the bill. We captured this image Oct.

There's no doubt about it. Honey bee guru Eric Mussen, Extension apiculturist with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology since 1976 and an upcoming retiree, will be "roasted" at the California State Beekeepers' Association conference, to be held Nov 19-21 at Lake Tahoe, Nev.

"What's wrong with my bees?" That's a question frequently asked of Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Fact is, he's an "unbee-lievable" wealth of information.

You've heard of "The Beauty and the Beast?" A fairy tale? How about "The Beauty and the Beetles?" No fairy tale. That's the theme of the open house on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 1 to 4 p.m.

Bed bug behavior? Fascinating! Just ask Kenneth Haynes. "Despite their proclivity to hide near to where we sleep and stealthily feed on our blood, bed bugs are extremely fascinating insects," he writes on his website.