Bug Squad

Leafcutter bees (Megachile spp.), so named because they cut leaves and petals to line their nests, are smaller than the honey bees but move faster. These native bees are easily recognizable by the black-white bands on their abdomen. Catching them in flight requires a lot of patience.

If we were to describe the cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) in one word, it would be "lovely." Especially when it nectars from catmint (Nepeta) in the early evening, as the sun drops low in the horizon.

The female Greater Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella) is a sneaky creature. She flies around bee hives at night and when the opportunity presents itself--as it often does--in she goes to lay her eggs. The egg hatch into larvae, which munch and crunch just about everything in sight.

The peak bee season is winding down--along with the number of bee swarms. "There aren't that many bees swarming this time of the year," said Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen, member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty.

If I were in charge, the praying mantis would eat only aphids, flies and stink bugs. No honey bees. Let them bee. This week we watched a praying mantis slide beneath a purple coneflower (Echinacea pupurea) at the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.