Bug Squad

One of the spectacular plants blooming in the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, the half-acre bee friendly garden at the University of California, Davis, is the cape mallow (Anisodontea hypomandarum), a native of South Africa.

Ever see a golden bee that takes your breath away? They're most likely Cordovans, a subspecies of the Italian race. The one below is a Cordovan, basically a bee with a color mutation that inhibits black, explains noted bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey.

The first thing you notice about the fly is its brilliant red eyes. They stand out like the proverbial elephant in the room. But they are on a fly--a flesh fly.

Aren't syrphid flies grand? Syrphid flies, aka hover flies or flower flies (family Syrphidae), are especially grand in a Calandrinia grandiflora, aka rock purslane.

Is coconut oil effective in treating varroa mites, those nasty little mites that plague our honey bees? The facts aren't in, and research is ongoing.