- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Happy Pollinator Week! For 2019, it's June 17-23. Most people think of bees when they think pollination, but don't stop there. “Think the "b" alliteration: bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles. But don't forget the flies, ants, mosquitoes and moths!” writes Kathy Keatley Garvey in her Bug Squad blog.
Did you know…
- Three-fourths of the world's flowering plants depend on pollinators
- 35% of the food we eat depends on pollination by bees
- There are 25,000 different species of bees
- 1.6 million colonies of honey bees are needed to...
- Author: Brook Gamble
'Attention is the beginning of devotion' --Mary Oliver
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Early in the 20th century, dairy operators traded their milking stools for machines to produce enough dairy products to meet growing consumer demand.
The technological developments were critical to the formation of California's enormous dairy industry, the largest in the nation. Today, more than 1.7 million cows produce 39.8 billion pounds of milk in California each year, according to the California Milk Advisory Board.
The march of progress continues. The state's dairy industry is now beginning to integrate robots and sophisticated computer software into cow barns to maintain the supply of wholesome...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
When insects, weeds, animals and diseases enter California from elsewhere in the nation or world, they can cause economic losses to agricultural crops and ecological damage to the state's natural areas. Ultimately, invasive species affect every resident of California.
Based on historical data, a new invertebrate species establishes itself in California about every six weeks, on average. They don't all become serious pest problems, but many evade eradication efforts, disrupt carefully balanced integrated pest management programs, hijack sensitive ecosystems, and spoil valued recreational resources and urban landscapes.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources joins the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The UC Integrated Pest Management Program and the Center for Invasive Species Research are two UC Agriculture and Natural Resources programs that monitor invasive species and coordinate responses when they become established in the state. They work closely with UC ANR advisors and specialists, government agencies and nonprofit organizations on eradication, management and prevention of these threats.
At an invasive species summit last year in Sacramento, UC ANR vice president Glenda Humiston and California Department of Food and Agriculture secretary Karen Ross convened scientists,...
