- (Focus Area) Environment
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
Priorities include removing objects within five feet of a house, upgrading vents
Wildfire losses cost taxpayers and communities hundreds of billions of dollars each year, and preparing communities before a disaster occurs is the best way to avoid damage to homes and neighborhoods. Retrofitting existing homes can make communities safer while avoiding billions in disaster costs.
As Californians learn to live with wildfire, scientists encourage improving the structure and design of houses and other buildings to help them survive wildfire. A new report shows that even inexpensive changes can increase wildfire resistance.
“Retrofitting a Home for Wildfire Resistance” suggests that some of the most effective strategies to reduce the vulnerability of homes and neighborhoods to wildfire can be done affordably.
“This report is a practical tool that helps evaluate the relative costs and benefits of fire-hardening retrofits,” said Yana Valachovic, a University of California Cooperative Extension forest advisor, who reviewed the study. “These retrofits can substantially improve the odds that a home or building will withstand wildfire exposures to embers, radiant heat or flame contact.”
The report is co-authored by Kimiko Barrett, wildfire research and policy analyst for Headwaters Economics, a non-partisan research organization based in Bozeman, Montana, and Stephen L. Quarles, UC Cooperative Extension advisor emeritus, who has studied the vulnerability of the built environment to wildfire exposures and potential mitigation strategies.
In partnership with California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CAL FIRE, Barrett and Quarles examined the costs for improving the structure and design of existing homes to increase their wildfire resistance.
“This tool can also help homeowners build a budget and prioritize tasks that often feel overwhelming,”Valachovic said. “Everyone should prioritize removing combustible vegetation, mulch, and stored materials within the first five feet of a structure and upgrading vents to resist embers.”
Simple actions can reduce a home's vulnerability to wildfire
The report's conclusions are derived from a detailed examination of the latest available science on mitigation strategies and construction costs. The authors identified costs for retrofitting structures to meet and exceed California's building code (Chapter 7A) for wildfire resistance, but the general principles and conclusions can be applied in other states, adjusting for local economic and supply conditions.
For a typical 2,000-square-foot home in California, retrofitting costs can range from $2,000 to upwards of $100,000 for the highest level of protection.
“When we looked at the latest building techniques and cost data, we found some effective retrofitting strategies can be done for between $2,000 to $10,000,” said Barrett. “While the highest level of protection can cost more, it is often not necessary. Simple actions such as removing flammable materials from near the home and removing debris from the roof can be done at little to no cost.”
The authors also incorporated effective mitigation strategies that could reduce risk without requiring costly upgrades over the entire home, such as replacing siding only on the side of a home that is close to another building, such as neighbor's home or a detached garage, or replacing combustible deck boards next to the home with a noncombustible deck board or metal grate.
They also incorporated a systems approach, where the vulnerability of adjacent components are considered, and recommend steps such as placing noncombustible surfaces at the intersection between two components.
For example, Quarles said: “Adding a gutter cover and ensuring the adjacent edge of roof is not vulnerable by incorporating a metal drip edge and, if necessary, a noncombustible bird stop at the edge of the roof. Or, replacing a combustible deck board next to the house and, if necessary, adding metal flashing at the base of the exterior wall.”
Cost estimates in the report include those for upgrading a home's exterior walls, roof, deck, windows, doors, eaves, gutters and near-home landscaping – all areas likely to be exposed to embers, direct flames and radiant heat.
“The graphics detailing specific elements of the retrofitting process are very useful,” Valachovic said.
Charts, architectural renderings and a detailed appendix of cost estimates provide a basis for a general understanding of the methods and budgets that homeowners might consider when retrofitting their home for wildfire resistance.
Retrofitting for wildfire can make communities safer
Contractors and others seeking information about building wildfire-resistant homes can gain valuable insights from this analysis, along with retrofit costs generated by the California Wildfire Mitigation Program.
“This analysis demonstrates that investing in wildfire-resistant retrofitting for homes is a cost-effective strategy to protect communities that could save billions in disaster costs,” said Barrett. “As more people live in fire-prone areas, we must also take a closer look at retrofitting homes to be stronger and more durable.”
While the authors hope Californians use the information to protect their homes, people who work in construction, development, design and policy also can use the information to show that retrofitting homes for wildfire resistance is an effective way to protect communities.
This 58-page report received funding from CAL FIRE and the U.S. Forest Service and can be downloaded for free at https://headwaterseconomics.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Wildfire_Retrofit_Report_20240624.pdf.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
So much to see and do, and so many moth experts will be on hand to answer your questions.
It's all in keeping with National Moth Week.
The event, free and family friendly, will take place inside and outside the Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis, as well as in the hallway of Academic Surge,and outside.
Moth'ers Peter Coggan, a doctoral student in the laboratory of Santiago Ramirez, UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology, and his father, Peter Coggan of northern Minnesota, and active in the Minnesota chapter of National Dark Skies, will staff a moth sensory booth.
Together they can address such topics as moth sensory biology, husbandry, trapping, and light pollution.
The younger Coggan, a member of the UC Davis Population Biology Graduate Group, was born and raised in Boulder, Colo., where he developed a love for biodiversity in the surrounding mountains. He is broadly interested in how sensory processing shapes memory formation and other cognitive traits. He is currently investigating "how hover flies decide which flowers to visit based on innate color preference and learned odors." He began conducting research in high school and has participated in projects from cancer diagnostics to waste water management. He received a bachelor of science in biology from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. As an undergraduate, he worked with Dr. Mark Willis and studied how moths perceive smell while moving through a complex environment. Coggan anticipates a career in academia and "to continue to raise awareness about invertebrates."
Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection, and Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas will show moth specimens and answer questions. The Bohart Museum's global collection of 8 million insects includes some 825,454 specimens of moths and butterflies, incluing 618,750 moths, ranging in size from the huge Atlas moths (10-inch wingspan) to the extremely tiny (4 mm wingspan) leafminer moths.”
Moth'er Volkmar Heinrich, UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering, will be displaying his images of moths and answering questions.Silks of the world also will be displayed, announced Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator.
In the hallway, visitors can view wing scales and antennae through microscopes at a table staffed by Iris Quayle, doctoral student in the lab of Professor Jason Bond, director of the Bohart Museum, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, Agricultural Sciences, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The petting zoo, featuring Madagascar hissing cockroaches and stick insects, also is scheduled to include Polyphemus caterpillars, "if they haven't all pupated," Yang said. The caterpillars will turn into silk moths. Staffing the petting zoo are UC Davis undergraduate student Kaitai Liu and doctoral candidate Emma Jochim of the Bond lab.
The family craft activity will involve making caterpillar stress balls in a cocoon bag, donned with leaves on the outside.
A free public snack of hot chocolate and cookies will be offered, Yang said.
Outside on the grounds, Bohart research associate John "Moth Man" De Benedictus and his colleagues will set up a blacklighting display (a white sheet and a UV light to attract moths and other night-flying insects). De Benedictis has amassed a moth collection of some 600 species from the Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve and 300 species from his backyard in Davis. He received a grant from the former Institute of Ecology to study moths at the Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve where he collected from 1989 until the last major fire in 2020.
“I began a similar inventory of the species in my backyard after I purchased my home in 1998," De Benedictis said. "It continues to this day, and a synoptic collection of the 300 or so species that I've collected in my yard is housed alongside the Cold Canyon collection in the Bohart Museum.” Graduate student Grace Horne of the lab of urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke, Department of Entomology and Nematology, is analyzing the data from these studies as part of her doctoral research.
DeBenedictus retired in 2001 from the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, where he worked as a staff research assistant from 1995 to 2001 in the laboratory of medical entomologist Tom Scott. De Benedictis, who holds a master's degree in entomology from UC Berkeley, studied with noted professor Jerry Powell (1933-2023), emeritus director of the Essig Museum of Entomology.
Worldwide, scientists have described about 18,000 species of butterflies and 180,000 species of moths, "and hundreds of newly named species are added every year," Smith said. "It's also believed that we may know of no more than 10-15 percent of the species actually out there, with the small 'micro-Lepidoptera' likely with over 90 percent of the species in the world still unknown. This emphasizes the importance of preserving natural environments so things don't go extinct before we can ever recognize their importance to the Earth and their relationships in their habitats."
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Let's go mothing!
What's mothing? The National Moth Week website describes mothing as "a hobby for nature enthusiasts who use light or bait to attract moths to a location for observation and data collection."
So, in keeping with National Moth Week, the Bohart Museum of Entomology is hosting its annual Moth Night from 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 20 at its headquarters in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis. Outside, Bohart research associate John "Moth Man" De Benedictus will set up a blacklighting display, complete with white sheet and a UV light to attract moths and other night-flying insects.
Inside, Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart, and his colleagues will displays moth specimens and answer questions.
The event is free and family friendly. Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator, says that traditionally, "we serve hot chocolate an cookies."
Have you taken any images of moths lately? In the moth world, we mostly photograph the diurnal or day-flying moths.
Take the plume moth. In his book, California Insects, UC Berkeley entomologist Jerry Powell (1933-2023) explains why they're called plume moths..."because the forewings are deeply notched and the hindwings are divided into three linear parts, each with long scale fringes. When perched, the insects roll the forewings around the folded hindwing plumes, resulting in peculiar sticklike or craneflylike appearance, unlike any other moth." Most are nocturnal and are attracted to lights, Powell adds.
Another example of a moth that flies during the day an night is the white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata).
You'll see those and more at the Bohart Museum's Moth Night.
The Bohart Museum, founded in 1946, houses a global collection of 8 million insect specimens, plus a petting zoo (think Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas) and an insect-themed gift shop. Director is Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, Agricultural Sciences, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
No, as industrious as a Lepidopterist.
Specifically, as industrious and dedicated as Jeff Smith, curator of the moth and butterfly collection at the UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology--a collection that an international authority on Lepidoptera praised as “The Gold Standard” of Lep collections.
But more about that later.
Smith, fascinated by insects since his childhood in San Jose, considers entomology “my passion” and the Bohart Museum “my cause.”
You may remember him from back in 2015, when he received a highly competitive Friend of the College Award from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Lynn Kimsey, then director of the Bohart Museum and a UC Davis professor of entomology (and now distinguished professor emerita) nominated Smith for the award. “You could not ask for a better friend than Jeff Smith,” she said, noting that he has “brought us international acclaim and saved us $160,000 through donations of specimens and materials, identification skills and his professional woodworking skills. This does not include the thousands of hours he has donated in outreach programs that draw attention to the museum, the college and the university.”
Kimsey, who directed the museum for 34 years, stepping down on Feb. 1, 2024 when Professor Jason Bond accepted the position, remembers when Smith joined the museum. “When Jeff was working for Univar Environmental Services, a 35-year career until his retirement in 2013, he would spend some of his vacation days at the museum. Over the years Jeff took over more and more of the curation of the butterfly and moth collection. He took home literally thousands of field pinned specimens and spread their wings at home, bringing them back to the museum perfectly mounted. To date he has spread the wings on more than 200,000 butterflies and moths. This translates into something like 33,000 hours of work!”
We caught up with Smith the other day for an update.
A Bohart volunteer since 1998, Smith has donated some 100,000 specimens (primarily butterflies, moths but a few other insects, including beetles) to the Bohart Museum. To date, he has spread the wings of some 180,000 moth and butterflies. He has crafted and donated some 2,475 wooden specimen drawers. He is valued for his expertise and public outreach at the Bohart Museum's open houses, usually about nine in number. The open houses include UC Davis Picnic Day, UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, and Take-Your-Daughters-and-Sons-to-Work Day.
In addition, Smith annually presents an evening spreading class to the UC Davis Entomology Club as well as an annual presentation to Bio Boot Camp. He also speaks at 12 to 15 other venues per year, engaging students at School Science Days and in individual classrooms.
825,454 Specimens in Lep Collection. “We have 825,454 specimens of moths and butterflies,” he said, delighted to be showing the collection at the Bohart Museum's Moth Night from 7 to 11 on Saturday, July 20, in celebration of National Moth Week. “We have around 618,750 moths, ranging in size from the huge Atlas moths (10-inch wingspan) to the extremely tiny (4 mm wingspan) leafminer moths.” The event is free and family friendly.
Some of his favorite moths are in the subfamily Arctiinae. "They're called Tiger Moths because of their colors and amazing ability to resemble stinging wasps. We have a very large worldwide collection of this group.”
Worldwide, scientists have described about 18,000 species of butterflies and 180,000 species of moths, "and hundreds of newly named species are added every year," Smith said. "It's also believed that we may know of no more than 10-15 percent of the species actually out there, with the small 'micro-Lepidoptera' likely with over 90 percent of the species in the world still unknown. This emphasizes the importance of preserving natural environments so things don't go extinct before we can ever recognize their importance to the Earth and their relationships in their habitats. '
How many specimens have you spread?
“I believe I typically spread 6,000 or more moths and butterflies each year for the past 30 plus years, and at this moment, I am spreading several thousand specimens just brought back from another Belize excursion. Everything butterfly or moth that comes to the museum is handed to me to curate, label, identify, and incorporate into the collection, which I believe may now house nearly 3/4 million Lepidoptera.”
How many specimen drawers have you made?
“To date I have made and donated 2,475 drawers, and in my garage shop I am currently making another 23 as the museum suddenly became short on empty drawers. About 1/4 of the drawers have been out of repurposed redwood from old decks and fencing.
Estimated number of hours you've donated to the Bohart?
“This is difficult to say, as most of the work I do is at home (Rocklin) on a daily basis, perhaps 2 to 3 hours each day. I get into the museum once a week to put away what I've done at home, so 9 to 10 hours there as well. Even on vacations away from home I take projects to work on daily on my computer-- spreadsheets, new unit tray labels, new pull tab labels, so that adds many more hours as well, and I've been doing this for 35 years.”
Smith is an active member of the international Lepidopterists' Society (since 1967). He and his colleagues hosted the 2019 meeting of the Lepidopterists' Society in Davis.
Now, back to "The Gold Standard."
"The Gold Standard” praise came from Professor Paul Opler (1938-2023) of Colorado State University, an international authority on Lepidoptera and author of noted books on butterflies and moths, including the Peterson Field Guide to Butterflies of Eastern North America, the Peterson Field Guide to Butterflies of Western North America, Butterflies East of the Great Plains: An Illustrated Natural History, and Moths of Western North America. butterflies. Opler (who by the way, served as the first editor of American Entomologist, published by the Entomological Society of America), received his doctorate in entomology in 1970 from UC Berkeley,
“About 10 years ago, Paul spent a few days in the Bohart going through our Notodontidae collection in preparation for a revision of that family now available,” Smith recalled. Upon returning home, Opler emailed Smith: “I consider the Bohart Lepidoptera collection to be The Gold Standard to which we all should aspire.”
“That huge compliment," Smith said, "spoke to the time I have spent with this magnificent collection."
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
(Continued from the July 13th Bug Squad)
Our resident crab spider, family Thomisidae, appears to be an extremely poor hunter. She waits, camouflaged in the lavender patch, as bees buzz around her. They dart away when she lunges at them.
So here I am, a crab spider, as hungry as can be
Does anyone out there feel sorry for me?
"Yes," say the arachnologists. The apiculturists say "no."
Well, I'll just hang out in the lavender and keep lying low.
Hey, looky there! I'm going to fast-track that bee.
Sorry, I am who I am, and I gotta be me.
The next day, success. Or, as they say, it was "a good day for the spider and a bad day for the bee."
It was also a good day for a freeloader fly (family Milichiidae, probably genus Desmometopa). These flies always seem to appear seconds after a spider (or praying mantis) nails its prey. No dinner reservations required.
Other bees mark themselves "safe" from the crab spider. For now.
And life goes on. For the crab spider. For the freeloader flies.