Bug Squad

It's not spring, but don't tell that to the folks at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis. Today bee breeder-geneticist Michael "Kim" Fondrk mowed the lush green grass around the apiary.

Have you seen the little syrphid flies, aka flower flies and hover flies, hovering around the early spring blossoms? We saw half a dozen of them Monday, Feb. 15 nectaring a white ceanothus at the Marshall Post Office in Marin County. The ceanothus is a shrub from the buckhorn family, Rhamnaceae.

It's Presidents' Day today, a holiday for most of us but not for the honey bees. The bees are buzzing in and around the almond blossoms, collecting nectar and pollen for their hives. Nectar provides the carbohydrates for the hive, and pollen provides the proteins.

There's nothing like a steaming hot cup of coffee to jump-start the day. If there's anything better than one cup, it's TWO cups. Well, honey bees like a little caffeine, too. And nicotine.

The first time I met Alexandra "Alex" Klein, she was perched in the arms of an almond tree in the Capay Valley, Yolo County. It was Feb. 27, 2008.