Bug Squad

A daily (M-F) blog launched Aug. 6, 2008 and about the wonderful world of insects and those who study them. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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When February arrives, honey bees will be out pollinating the almonds. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Feast Fit for a King and Queen (Bee)

November 21, 2013
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
You like the taste of honey, right? How about A Taste of Mead and Honey? Thats even better! The UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center is planning a "Mid-Winter Beekeepers Feast: A Taste of Mead and Honey" on Saturday, Feb.
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Honey bee visiting a cosmos. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Fun-Loving, Sun-Loving Cosmos

November 20, 2013
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Oh, the fun-loving, sun-loving cosmos. A native of Mexico and a member of the sunflower family, Asteraceae, this plant brightens many a garden, attracting such pollinators as honey bees, bumble bees, sweat bees, hover flies and butterflies.
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A yellow-faced bumble bee on a zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It's All About the Community

November 19, 2013
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you like community gardens, then you'll want to visit the Avant Garden at the corner of First and D streets in Benicia. The Benicia Community Garden (BCG) signed a lease agreement in the fall of 2010 with Estey Real Estate to establish a downtown community garden.
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Honey bee on a bottlebrush at the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Brush With Bees

November 18, 2013
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
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.
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Eric Mussen and the famous bee sting photo showing a bee stinging his wrist. This mounted photo will be auctioned off at the California State Beekeepers' Association conference. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Someone's Going Home with a Piece of Him

November 15, 2013
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
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.
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