Bug Squad

If you want to learn more about honey bees and other pollinators, then The Bounty of Pollination: More Than Just Honey is the place to bee on Saturday, Oct 27 at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science (RMI), University of California, Davis.

Ever heard the sound of katydids? The meadow katydids, the true katydids, the round-headed katydids, the bush katydids and the shiedback katydids? They're all there, in all their glory. Entomologist/educator/author/lecturer/photographer/broadcaster Art Evans of Richmond, Va.

The next time you see a spider eating a bee snared in its web, look closely. The spider may not be alone. It may have a dinner companion. A freeloader fly. The common name, "freeloader fly," refers to the Milichiidae family.

Are you ready for the Great Bee Count? It's happening Saturday, Aug. 11. You're encouraged to be a "citizen scientist" and count the bees in your backyard or garden over a 15-minute period and to watch or listen to a national online video broadcast at http://www.yourgardenshow.

Bee creative! That's what scientists at the University of California, Davis; area artists; and the general public will "bee" during the Davis Art Center's public exhibit, "Discovery Art: Cross Pollination, Sharing Art, Sharing Ideas," on Friday night, Aug. 10.