Bug Squad

"R" is for research at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Faciity at the University of California, Davis. What's it all about? The Laidlaw facility is a nexus for diverse bee research and scientists from throughout the world.

In an aging queen bee, does age affect the quality of her offspring? Why do some bees leave the hive and never return?

When a sweat bee and a honey bee share the same flower, the size difference is quite distinct. We took this photo of a honey bee on a rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora) blossom.

Bees buzz. People "Tweet." Well, many people do. It's generous of the Hagen-Dazs brand to donate $1 per Tweet (up to $500 per day) from Nov. 5 through Nov. 11 to support honey bee research at the University of California, Davis.

Butterflies, honey bees and hover flies can't get enough of red buckwheat. Tight clusters of pink blossoms, coupled with gray-green foliage, grace red buckwheat (Eriogonum grande rubescens), a California native. It's good for the insects and good for the gardener. It's drought-tolerant.