Bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey fervently believes that increasing the overall genetic diversity of honey bees will lead to healthier, hardier bees that can better fight off parasites, pathogens and pests.
If you want to learn about what bees do, and how gardeners can support healthy pollinator populations through simple gardening practice, then this is for you: Your Sustainable Backyard: Pollinator Gardening.
If you're planning to hike the hills around Bodega Head in Sonoma County, watch out for the bears. The woolly bear caterpillars, that is. Last Sunday, with the temperature hovering around 70 degrees, the woolly bears were everywhere.
Bee specialists Neal Williams and Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology are among those quoted in a comprehensive news story, "Hives for Hire," published March 3 in the Los Angeles Times.
