Bug Squad

Excellent work! We're glad to see that three noted entomologists at the University of California, Davis, received distinguished awards in their fields at the 94th annual meeting of the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA) on April 13 in Boise, Idaho.

Charles W.Woodworth would have been proud. When the C. W.

Redmaids aren't red. They're purple-petaled with white centers and yellow stamens. The California native wildflower (Calandrinia ciliatais) from the purslane family (Portulacaceae) blooms from February through May. Farmers who grow baby spinach and other crops consider it a weed. Honey bees don't.

No fear. None at all. Some of the bugs you'll see at the UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, April 17 at the Bohart Museum of Entomology are "baby" praying mantises or mantids. An egg case (here's one at right) hatched on Emily Bzdyk's desk this week.

Honey bees don't like tulips, right? Right. You don't plant tulips to attract bees, and you don't attract bees with tulips. They prefer such bee friendly plants as lavender, salvia, catmint, sedum, cherry laurels and tower of jewelsnot to mention fruit, almond and vegetable blossoms.