- (Focus Area) Environment
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
So quipped UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Lynn Kimsey about the portraits and multiple images of Richard "Doc" Bohart (1913-2007) gracing the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Saturday, Sept. 28, on what would have been his 111th birthday anniversary.
Bohart, an internationally recognized entomologist and a longtime UC Davis professor, founded the insect museum in 1946. It was renamed the Bohart Museum in 1983.
The 300 visitors at the open house visitors learned how to catch bugs, identify them, pin them and label them. They also learned about butterflies, moths, mosquitoes and ticks. As the open house concluded, they enjoyed a "Doc" birthday cake cut by the new Bohart Museum director, Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Kimsey served as the director of the Bohart for 34 years until her retirement on Feb. 1, 2024. Specializing in hymenoptera, she continues her research; directs the Bohart Museum Society; and writes and edits the quarterly newsletter.
Kimsey, who was one of Bohart's last graduate students before he retired, remembers him in the audio of a newly produced video by Walter Leal, UC Davis distinguished professor of molecular and cellular biology and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology. Included are her archived PowerPoint images of the professor, and video excerpts from her 1996 interview of "Doc" Bohart in an Aggie Video production. (See https://youtu.be/3YqnK-CpbJE)
The video heralds Bohart's 60 years of entomological work, documents his childhood passion for insects, relates that his first publication (1936) featured Strepsiptera (twisted-wing parasites), and lists many of the species that bear his name. He authored two landmark books, Sphecid Wasps of the World (with Arnold Menke), and The Chrysidid Wasps of the World (with Lynn Kimsey), as well as 230 journal articles and four other books on wasps and mosquitoes, including the 2nd and 3rd editions of The Mosquitoes of California (the 2nd with Stanley Freeborn and the 3rd with Robert Washino). During his career, he described more than 200 new species and genera of insects.
The Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus, is the home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens. It also houses a live petting zoo (Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks, tarantulas and more) and an insect-themed gift shop, stocked with t-shirts, hoodies, books, posters and jewelry, among other items.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The open house, free and family friendly, takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. Parking is also free.
"The theme is Museum Fundamentals 101," said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator. Activities will center around:
- Catching bugs (nets, malaise, light and pitfall)
- How to make a kill jar
- Pinning
- Microscope work
- Labeling
- Identification of some of the major orders
- Celebration of noted UC Davis entomology professor Richard M. Bohart (2013-2007), founder of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, whose birthday anniversary was Sept. 28, the date of the open house. Speaking will be UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Lynn Kimsey, who directed the Bohart Museum for 34 years until she retired Feb. 1, 2024; and the new Bohart director, Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Entomologist Jeff Smith, who curates the Lepidoptera collection, will show pinning boards at various stages of completeness and "we will have a QR code linked to the video of him showing how to spread leps that we created over the pandemic," said Yang. "We will also highlight and link to his 'carpentry how-to for drawers' and spreading boards that (collections manager) Brennen Dyer has on his website, resourcefulentomology.com.
Carla-Cristina “CC” Melo Edwards of the laboratory of medical entomologist-geneticist Geoffrey Attardo of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will be discussing mosquitoes and ticks--and how she traps them. Her doctoral research focuses on investigating the physiological mechanisms underlying pyrethroid resistance in Aedes aegypti (the yellow fever mosquito). She was a McNair scholar at Baylor University, where she completed her undergraduate degree in cell and molecular biology in May 2021.
A family arts and crafts activity--making a collecting jar--is also planned.
The event will take place both inside the Bohart Museum and in the hallway.
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inside
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Moth Collection (Jeff Smith and Greg Kareofelas)
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Collecting Equipment (Fran Keller)
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Pinning and Labeling (Oliver Smith and Allen Chew)
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Labeling, Identifying (Lynn Kimsey and Steve Heydon)
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Hallway
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Live Animals (handling and rearing) - (Oliver Blunt, Jason Ni and Nancy Lauerman)
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Educational microscopes (Sam Amelia McCullough)
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Netting (Christofer Brothers)
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Finding/Tracking Mosquitoes and Ticks- Medical Entomology (CC Edwards)
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Craft: Make a collecting jar (while supplies last) (Julianna Campos)
- Free public snack - Birthday cake in honor of Richard Bohart
The Bohart Museum is the home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens. It also houses a live petting zoo (Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks, tarantulas and more) and an insect-themed gift shop, stocked with t-shirts, hoodies, books, posters and jewelry, among other items.
- Author: Enter Name or e-mail
Los proyectos apoyarán a granjeros socialmente en desventaja, incrementarán el acceso de la comunidad urbana a alimentos saludables y más
El UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program (Programa de Investigación y Educación sobre Agricultura Sustentable de UC), conocido como SAREP, por sus siglas en inglés, anunció recientemente a los ocho recipientes de los pequeños subsidios Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems 2024-25 Small Grants Program (Programa de Pequeños Subsidios para Agricultura y Sistemas Alimentarios Sustentables).
Entre los elegidos se encuentran proyectos de planeación, investigación y educación que apoyan el desarrollo de sistemas alimentarios sustentables y empresas agrícolas respetuosas del medio ambiente y económicamente viables.
De las 33 solicitudes elegibles, ocho fueron seleccionadas para recibir aproximadamente 80 mil dólares en fondos combinados para apoyar sus trabajos. Los subsidios individuales están limitados a diez mil dólares. “El Programa de Pequeños Subsidios es una importante parte de nuestra misión”, señaló Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, directora interina de UC SAREP. Al facilitar estos subsidios, la SAREP puede ayudar a ANR a involucrar a una amplia gama de partes interesadas en los sistemas alimentarios, los resultados muestran que una pequeña inversión financiera puede tener un impacto grande en mejorar las vidas de los californianos”.
Los ocho recipientes de este año son:
En planificación
Creación de capacidad y resistencia entre redes de agricultores californianos socialmente desfavorecidos
Fresh Approach piensa establecer una red común de aprendizaje y apoyo técnico dirigido a negocios emergentes de agregación de alimentos para acceder a canales comerciales sustentables, incluyendo la distribución de alimentos de emergencia. Como parte del proyecto, mejorarán un mapa GIS interactivo de canales de valor para agilizar las oportunidades comerciales para granjeros y agregadores socialmente desfavorecidos. (Líder del proyecto: Andy Ollove, Fresh Approach)
Proyecto de planificación para la expansión de huertos sustentables para residentes urbanos
Growing Hope Gardens usará el subsidio para sistematizar el proceso de alcance, descubrimiento, diseño e implementación en la creación de nuevos huertos para residentes urbanos. El proyecto documentará el proceso de la creación del huerto Growing Hope Gardens para convertirlo en un manual de capacitación e implementación para duplicar de una manera más eficiente los programas de huertos en más comunidades de bajos recursos. (Líder del proyecto: Carolyn Day, Growing Hope Gardens)
Investigación
La evaluación de mejores prácticas administrativas para cultivos de cubierta para minimizar la pérdida de nitrógeno en el valle de Salinas en California
Este proyecto cuantificará la efectividad de los cultivos de cubierta en diferentes épocas de siembra y fechas de finalización para extraer el exceso de nitrógeno en la tierra y reducir la lixiviación de nitrato en un sistema de cultivo de verduras en Salinas. Los resultados servirán de base a la Orden Ag 4.0 para la concesión de créditos a los cultivos de cubierta y ayudarán a las partes interesadas del valle de Salinas a comprender mejor la gestión de los cultivos para un ciclo eficiente de los nutrientes. (Líder del proyecto: Scott Fendorf, Universidad de Stanford)
Las implicaciones de la dieta del cernícalo, dispersión y migración en el control de plagas en los sistemas agrícolas del norte de California
Los investigadores estudiarán cómo la dieta, dispersión post reproductiva y la migración de cernícalos nidificantes influyen en el control de las plagas biológicas en las granjas del norte de California. El proyecto generará recomendaciones de gestión para usar al ave depredadora en el control biológico de plagas en programas de agricultura sustentable en todo California. (Líder del proyecto: Breanna Martinico, UC Cooperative Extensión)
Educación y alcance
EAT! Proyecto para el acceso a mercados de granjeros de la comunidad y promoción
Este proyecto ayuda a granjeros indígenas y socialmente desfavorecidos en el condado de Riverside a crear vías para obtener beneficios económicos. EAT! ofrecerá mentoría para el desarrollo de estrategias comerciales, conectará a los granjeros con compradores, promoverá los mercados de granjeros para que sean más rentables para los agricultores y proporcionará un puesto de cooperativa agrícola en la ciudad de Norco para que los granjeros puedan vender sus productos directamente a los consumidores (¡Líder del proyecto Patrick Mitchell, Ecological Agricultural Training Cultural Center [EAT!])
Cultivando la educación cooperativa, administración y conexión en la Agroecology Commons Cooperative Incubator Farm (Granja Incubadora de Agroecología Cooperativa de Bienes Comunes).
Agroecology Commons se propone abordar los retos que enfrentan los agricultores jóvenes, primera generación, BIPOC, queer y femme (mujeres) en la Agroecology Commons Cooperative Incubator Farm del área de la bahía. El proyecto se centrará en educación y alcance, proporcionando asistencia técnica y capacitación en prácticas agrícolas regeneradas como la salud de la tierra, control de plagas y diversificación de cultivos para granjeros socialmente desfavorecidos. (Líder de proyecto: Jeneba Kilgore, Agroecology Commons)
Señalamientos y renovación de murales para los granjeros del sudeste asiático para mejorar la comercialización directa al consumidor
Este proyecto construirá señalamientos nuevos de alta duración para los granjeros del sudeste asiático que cultivan una diversidad de verduras y bayas en la región de Sacramento. Mejorar el atractivo y durabilidad de los señalamientos de las granjas incrementará la rentabilidad de los puestos agrícolas, pues estos granjeros de recursos limitados dependen de estrategias de comercialización directa al consumidor para promover sus negocios. (Líder del proyecto: Margaret Lloyd, UC Cooperative Extension)
Programa comunitario de seguridad nutricional y educación
Farm Discovery at Live Earth incrementará el acceso a productos orgánicos para individuos y familias que experimentan inseguridad alimentaria y nutricional en el área de Santa Cruz y Monterey Bay. Esto se podrá lograr a través de la agricultura, educación al aire libre, programas de educación y nutrición que se centran en prácticas agrícolas regenerativas para conectar a jóvenes y familias a sus sistemas agrícolas regionales y sistemas ecológicos. (Líder del Proyecto: Jessica Ridgeway, Farm Discovery at Live Earth)
¡El Programa de Pequeños Subsidios de UC SAREP tiene un gran impacto! Ayúdenos a financiar más proyectos que apoyan a sistemas alimentarios sustentables y respetuosos del medio ambiente y empresas agrícolas económicamente viables. Para apoyar este programa, por favor haga su donación aquí. Elija a SAREP Small Grants Program.
Adaptado al español por Leticia Irigoyen del artículo en inglés. Editado para su publicación por Ricardo Vela
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Associate professor Kyle Wickings of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Cornell University, will speak on “Composition and Function of Soil Invertebrate Communities in Residential Greenspaces” at 4:10 p.m., Monday, Sept. 30 in 122 Briggs Hall.
This is the first in a series of fall seminars hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and coordinated by nematologist Amanda Hodson, assistant professor.
“Turfgrasses cover a significant portion of U.S. land area and are used for a variety of cultural and other ecosystem services," he says in his abstract. "However, this service provisioning capacity varies tremendously by geographic location and management context. In this seminar, I will present research from my program on the potential or turfgrasses to serve as reservoirs for belowground biodiversity and soil organic matter in residential laws and public parks o the northwestern United States. I will also discuss the consequences of turfgrass cultural and pest management practices or soil biological communities and processes.”
His seminar will be broadcast on Zoom and archived. The Zoom link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.
On his website, Wickings relates: "My research strives to understand the interactions between arthropods, microbes, and soil organic matter, and how these interactions may be modified to improve plant protection in the rhizosphere. One of my research goals is to identify underlying characteristics of soil organic matter (quantity, quality, and composition) which influence root herbivore populations. This knowledge could improve our ability to predict pest outbreaks and may ultimately be used to develop soil amendments which suppress root-feeding pests. I am also interested in understanding the role that soil microbes play in the nutritional ecology of root-feeding arthropods. My previous research demonstrates that soil arthropods interact closely with microbes during feeding, and it is well known that soil arthropods form diverse external and internal associations with microbes. My research at Cornell will continue in this area to improve our understanding of the role of microbes in root herbivore nutrition and the potential for managing root-feeding pests by influencing the soil microbial community."
Wickings, who joined the Cornell University faculty in 2013, holds a bachelor of science degree in environmental studies, summa cum laude (2001), and a doctorate in 2007 in ecology from the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology. His dissertation: “Arthropod Biodiversity in a Georgia Cotton Agroecosysem: Cotton, Tillage, Cover Crops and Red Imported Fire Ants."
He did postdoctoral research from 2010-2013 for the Department of Natural Resources, University of New Hampshire, Durham, where he conducted research on the effects of management intensity on soil biota and their role in long-term decomposition; performed advanced chemical analysis of soil and plant residue for collaborative research projects; and advised graduate students studying symbiotic microbes of soil invertebrates and patterns of microarthropod distribution in soils.
He earlier served as a postdoctoral associate (2006-2010) for the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing.
Wickings has authored or co-authored research published in PloS One, Ecology Letters, Peobiologia, Soil Biology and Biochemistry, and Annals of the Entomological Society of America, among others.
Wickings received Cornell's 2017 Early Achievement Award for his work researching the effects of soil arthropods and microbes on plant health and chemistry.
The full list of the department's fall seminars is here. For more information or for technical issues, contact Hodson at akhodson@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kristen Farrar
UC ANR Small Farms Network supports small-scale and underserved farmers impacted by extreme heat
Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, interim director for the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, joined more than 100 participants from across the country at the first-ever White House Summit on Extreme Heat. Community representatives and practitioners met with federal agency representatives and Biden Administration officials to discuss successful locally tailored, community-driven practices to adapt to extreme heat as well as available federal resources.
In the agricultural sector, extreme heat events can cause heat illness in farmworkers, crop losses and changes in pest pressure. California crop losses due to drought, wildfire and heat were estimated at $239 million in 2023.
Disaster relief funds are available to help growers recover from lost production due to extreme heat. Since 2021, the UC ANR Small Farms Network has connected small-scale farmers with over $5.8 million in direct-to-producer relief funds for losses related to drought, flooding and other extreme weather events.
To further support small-scale farmers in adapting to the changing climate, Dahlquist-Willard and the Small Farms Network are evaluating how the extreme heat of summer 2024 impacted farmers. Farmers reported anecdotal observations that included:
- Shifting work hours to cooler parts of the day
- Closing farm stands and farmers markets due to extreme heat
- Crops ripening more quickly than expected, impacting harvesting and packing schedules
- Poor fruit set due to extremely high temperatures
The team is working to determine what damage symptoms on small-acreage California specialty crops can be attributed to extreme heat based on scientific literature and assessments from UC ANR colleagues. Understanding the impact of extreme heat on the farming community can help inform research and policy, ultimately equipping farmers with strategies to adapt to extreme heat events.
“It was inspiring to meet with leaders from around the nation who are working to support communities impacted by extreme heat and learn about the creative solutions they are implementing,” said Dahlquist-Willard. “The challenges faced by these communities make it all the more important to continue to work against climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to develop new methods and resources to mitigate the effects of extreme heat and other climate impacts.”
The Extreme Heat Summit highlighted the Biden-Harris Administration's investments in climate reliance and put forth an Extreme Heat Call to Action calling upon public and private sectors to prepare for future extreme heat events. Communities and governments interested in participating are asked to use all available tools to protect people from extreme heat. Approaches and tools which could be used to protect people and resources from extreme heat are highlighted in the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit and the National Heat Strategy. Submissions for the Call to Action will be accepted through Nov. 1, 2024.
Further reading:
Heat Illness Prevention, UC Davis Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety
Pathak et al., 2018. Climate Change Trends and Impacts on California Agriculture: A Detailed Review