Bug Squad

When Mary Frances "Fran" Keller, doctoral candidate at the UC Davis Department of Entomology, delivers her exit seminar on Wednesday, May 29, the audience will get a glimpse of all the titles she holds.

Bees carry pollen in their pollen baskets, but that's not the only place.

It happened unexpectedly. Tabatha Yang and her six-month-old son, Karoo, were sitting on their lawn last Sunday at their West Davis home, when she saw red. Literally. One minute they were enjoying the springlike weather, and the next minute his head was covered with bright red dots.

What a match--honey bees and pomegranate blossoms. Watching the golden bees forage amid the brilliant red blossoms in the late afternoon is a delight to see, especially when the sun backlights them. The ancient fruit, native to Iran, is one of the world's first cultivated fruits.

A spider web is one of nature's most marvelous wonders. It's art, it's architecture, and it's engineering. The silk is as beautiful as it is deceiving. It's 10 times stronger than Kevlar; as sticky as cotton candy covered with honey; and as flexible as a classical ballet dancer.