Ladybugs, aka ladybird beetles, are out there. Walk through the garden and they're easy to find. Last weekend we spotted one tucked in the heart of an artichoke, another climbing a nectarine tree, and still another perched on an artichoke leaf.
"How are the bees doing?" That's the question beekeepers are asked all year. Well, today the annual survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) answered that question. The response? Roughly the same.
A touch of Brazil and a desire to exchange science and technology... That's what will happen on the UC Davis campus Monday, May 23 when a distinguished Brazilian scientist meets with UC Davis officials and the Brazilian consulate of San Francisco.
They're definitely attracted to it. Honey bees forage furiously on the California buckeye (Aesculus californica). It's not a good bee plant, though. It's poisonous.
