- (Focus Area) Yard & Garden
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Show me the honey? Show me the California Honey Festival.
The annual event, which emphasizes the importance of bees, and promotes honey and honey bees and their products, will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, May 4 in downtown Woodland.
It's free and family friendly. It traditionally draws a crowd of some 40,000.
Amina Harris, who retired last June as director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, co-founded the honey festival in 2017 with the City of Woodland. She actually "retired" to the family business, Z Food Specialty and The HIVE, Woodland, where her title is "Queen bee."
The California Honey Festival continues to partner with the Honey and Pollination Center in presenting the festival.
The organizers promise "something for everyone." You can expect honey tastings, bee observation hives, kids' activities, cooking demonstrations, live music, vendors and much more. The UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program, which uses science-base information to educate stewards and ambassadors for honey bees and beekeeping, will not be participating this year. But science-based information on bees will be provided by the California State Beekeepers Association and the Sacramento Area Beekeepers' Association.
Ask them questions! And remember you can sign up for classes with the California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMPB), founded (2016) and directed by Elina Lastro Niño, associate professor of UC Cooperative Extension, apiculture. She is a member of the faculty of the Department of Entomology and Nematology. As the CAMPB website indicates: The organization is "a continuous train-the-trainer effort. The CAMBP's vision is to certify Honey Bee Ambassador, Apprentice, Journey, and Master level beekeepers so they can effectively communicate the importance of honey bees and other pollinators within their communities, serve as mentors for other beekeepers, and become the informational conduit between the beekeeping communities throughout the state and UCCE staff. Explore the Certifications Page for more information."
If you are noticing droopy, dried-out flower clusters on your pears, Asian pears, quince, apples or crabapples, fire blight may be the cause.
The first sign of fire blight is often the blackening of flowers, shoots or leaves followed by a watery, light tan ooze from affected shoots. Open flowers are the most common infection site and remain susceptible until petal fall.
Initially, fire blight infections might be localized, affecting only a flower cluster, but then the infection grows downward, extending into twigs and branches. These twig cankers kill more and more tissue as they advance. Dead, blackened leaves and fruit cling to dead branches throughout the season, giving the tree a scorched appearance -- hence the name “fire blight.” The pathogen can kill highly susceptible trees, while others may suffer significant branch dieback. Once infected, the plant will harbor the pathogen indefinitely unless the cankers are pruned out well below the infection.
Monitoring trees regularly, a couple of times a week, will allow you to identify and deal with new fire blight strikes before they become a branch infection. It is important to remove and destroy any new fire blight infections before they spread and affect more tissue. Dip pruning shears in a 10-percent bleach solution after each cut.
If fire blight strikes have been ignored, the infection will spread and infect the branch. Once the wood is infected, the branch must be pruned out well below the infection. In this case, you will need to remove the diseased wood in summer or winter when the bacteria are no longer spreading through the tree. Again, dip pruning shears in a 10-percent bleach solution after each cut.
If fire blight occurs on a trunk or major limb the wood may be saved by scraping away the bark down to the cambium layer in affected areas (removing both outer and inner bark). When scraping look for long, narrow infections that can extend farther down the branch or trunk. If any are seen, remove all discolored tissue plus six to eight inches more beyond the infection. This procedure is best done in winter when trees are dormant and bacteria aren't active. Don't apply any dressing to the wound. If the limb has been girdled, scraping won't work and the entire limb must be removed.
When selecting new fruit trees, choose those that are less susceptible to fire blight, if possible. The most susceptible varieties are Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Jonathan, Mutsu, Pink Lady and Yellow Newton. Unfortunately, most pear varieties are susceptible to fire blight.
PLANT SALE! Mark your calendar for our plant sale onSaturday, May 18, 2024 from 9 am–noon. The sale will be held at the Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden at Patrick Ranch. The plants, which are selected to thrive in our climate, have been propagated by UC Master Gardeners of Butte County. For more information and a partial list of the plants that will available, visit our website.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
An image of a damselfly photographed in Hawaii, and images of a blowfly and a monarch photographed in California won the Photo Salon recently hosted by the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA)
Photo Salon coordinator Joshua Milnes, an entomologist with the Plant Protection Division, Washington State Department of Agriculture, Yakima, announced the winners as:
- First, Robert Peck, entomologist with the University of Hawaii, for his image of a damselfly
- Second, Alexander Nguyen, a UC Davis entomology alumnus, for his image of a blowfly
- Third, Kathy Keatley Garvey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, for her image of a monarch.
PBESA showcased the images at its annual meeting, held April 14-17, in Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii. The photo competition, themed “Pineapple Madness,” was open to all PBESA members. Membership covers 11 Western states, plus U.S. territories and parts of Canada and Mexico.
Winning entrants in this year's competition "not only received bragging rights," Milnes said, but also cash prizes. The first-place winner received $50, plus a printed photo; second place, $25, plus a printed photo, and third place, $25.
Robert Peck
“The damselfly in my photo is Megalagrion calliphya, with the common name, Beautiful Hawaiian Damselfly," said Peck, an entomologist with the Hawaii Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawaii, Hilo. “It can be found around standing pools of water in Hawaiian forests.” Peck captured the image in his backyard in Volcano, Hawaii. This was his first submission in the Photo Salon competition. His camera gear: a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with a Tokina 90 macro lens.
Alexander Nguyen
“I took this image (of a blowfly) while visiting my good friend, and fellow UC Davis entomology alumnus Joel Hernandez, in Woodland," Nguyen said. "I'm a long time user of Canon cameras and have no plans to switch. This was photographed using the newer R5 mirrorless model. I currently reside in Sonoma County serving that region in the Agricultural Commissioner's office.” This was his third win in an ESA-hosted competition. Nguyen's image of a hoverfly, photographed in the UC Davis Stebbens Cold Canyon Reserve, won an international competition and appeared in the ESA 2018 Insects of the World calendar. (See Bug Squad blog) In 2022, his photo of red imported fire ants placed second in the PBESA Photo Salon.
Kathy Keatley Garvey
Garvey, a communications specialist with the Department of Entomology and Nematology, captured her image of a monarch foraging on milkweed in a Vacaville garden. Her camera gear: a Nikon D500 with a 200mm macro lens. She earlier won several awards in ESA-hosted competitions. Her image of a golden dung fly, Scathophaga stercoraria, won the Entomological Society of America (ESA) medal for "Best Image by an ESA Member" in the 64th annual International Insect Salon competition, held in 2022. Her image of two Melissodes agilis bees buzzing over a sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, won "Best Image by an ESA member" at the 63rd North Central Insect Photographic Salon, co-sponsored by the North Central Branch of ESA and the Photographic Society of America. Two other Garvey images also won acceptances in the North Central competition.
Entries are now being accepted through May 12 for the 2025 ESA World of Insects Calendar. "Photographers of all backgrounds, areas of expertise, career stage, and geographical location are invited to submit photos," according to the ESA website. "No entomological training or expertise is required, and you do not need to be an ESA member to enter." Submitted images may also be considered for ESA's weekly "Arthropod Photo of the Week" feature on social media, via the #arthropodPOTW hashtag on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
There is no "Planet B."
The Earth is all we have.
Today, April 22, is Earth Day (an annual event launched April 22, 1970) and what a perfect occasion to celebrate a native bee and a native wildflower.
Bombus vosnesenskii,aka the yellow-faced bumble bee, meet the California golden poppy, Eschscholzia californica, the California state flower. (The California dogface butterfly, Zerene eurydice, is the state insect, but shouldn't B. vosnesenskii rank as a runner-up?)
Why do we celebrate Earth Day? "To demonstrate support for environmental protection," according to Wikipedia. "In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be observed on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere."
The late Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) distinguished emeritus professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, always encouraged us to look for, photograph and celebrate bumble bees. A tireless advocate of pollinator species protection and conservation, Thorp was known for his expertise, dedication and passion in protecting native pollinators, especially bumble bees, and for his teaching, research and public service. In his retirement, he co-authored two books Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide (Princeton University, 2014) and California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists (Heyday, 2014).
Seen any bumble bees lately? Connect with the California Bumble Bee Atlas. It's a project coordinated by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. As its website says: It's a "collaborative community science effort to track and conserve the state's native bumble bee species.? ?This year's field work starts March 15, 2024!" Grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration, the Bureau of Land Management, and other agencies support the project.
Happy E. Day...and Happy B. Day!
- Author: Ricardo A. Vela
Me refiero a los voluntarios, hombres, mujeres, jóvenes y adultos que, en busca de la recompensa más gratificante, ayudar al prójimo, se involucran en las organizaciones que promueven los valores en los que creen.
De acuerdo con el reporte anual más reciente de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de California (UC ANR, por sus siglas en inglés). En el año 2022 los voluntarios donaron a UC ANR 1,170 mil 098 horas de trabajo, lo cual representa 41 millones 608 mil 685 dólares en donaciones monetarias.
De acuerdo con Gemma M. Miner, coordinadora de voluntarios UC ANR esta institución cuenta con más de 19 mil voluntarios quienes desempeñan una variedad de actividades dentro de los programas de 4-H, Maestros Jardineros, Maestros Conservadores de Alimentos, y California Naturalistas entre otros. Los voluntarios realizan una gran variedad de actividades como educar, asesorar y fungir como representantes de su programa y de UC ANR en eventos públicos.
Se calcula que estos voluntarios acumulan cerca de dos millones de contactos públicos anualmente (datos antes de COVID-19) en actividades donde promueven la información basada en las investigaciones de los expertos de UC ANR.
Uno de los objetivos de UC ANR desde el 2018 es que los académicos desarrollen y administren sistemas que permitan que los voluntarios lideren proyectos, y que de esta manera se fortalezca su compromiso con UC ANR y sus principios de comunidad.
Miner, asegura que la búsqueda de voluntarios es continua, sin embargo, debido a la diversidad de los programas estatales de UC ANR y las ubicaciones estratégicas de las Extensiones Cooperativas atraer a las personas indicadas no es una tarea difícil.
¿Quiénes son las personas indicadas para ser voluntarios en UC ANR?
De acuerdo con Miner, el candidato ideal es cualquier persona dispuesta a contribuir con su granito de arena para mejorar las vidas de los californianos. “Colaborar con UC ANR es muy divertido y gratificante, ya que se tiene la oportunidad de regresar a la comunidad lo que esta nos ha dado y en muchas ocasiones ayudar a las familias que necesitan desesperadamente que las apoyen,” dijo Miner.
Los Retos del Voluntariado
Conforme la población en California se desplaza de las zonas rurales a la mancha urbana, familias de escasos recursos y en situaciones de desventaja requieren más apoyo para salir adelante. Desafortunadamente como resultado de ello 5 millones de personas viven por debajo del nivel de pobreza, es decir 1 de cada 6 residentes en California. Los latinos son el grupo étnico más golpeado por este problema.
En California el 40% de la población es de origen latino, sin embargo, la disparidad económica y social es el pan de cada día para muchas de estas familias ya que los latinos son el 51.4% de la población que vive bajo el nivel de pobreza. Razón por la cual UC ANR mantiene como uno de sus objetivos principales ayudar a estas familias a través de los programas como CalFresh y el Programa Ampliado de Educación Alimentaria y Nutricional (EFNEP por sus siglas en inglés). De igual forma UC ANR se preocupa del futuro y cuenta con voluntarios para el programa 4-H y el desarrollo juvenil, para ello es vital contar con candidatos para voluntarios que sean bilingües y biculturales.
Juan Jiménez y su esposa Michele son dos de los miles de voluntarios que colaboran con UC ANR, ambos participan con el programa de desarrollo juvenil 4-H en el condado de Riverside y conocen la importancia de ser bilingües y la recompensa de ser voluntarios. “Ser voluntario me hace sentir humano y que estoy contribuyendo con la comunidad y con mi familia,” asegura Juan.
Mientras que, para Michele, servir a la comunidad en la que vive es algo natural. “Desde pequeña he sido voluntaria, mis padres me inculcaron el servicio a nuestra comunidad, a nuestra iglesia, para mi es algo muy normal y satisfactorio”.
En abril se celebra y reconoce la labor de los voluntarios, esas personas incansables que dedican su tiempo libre para el beneficio de otros.
Ante la gran labor que hacen en UC ANR les decimos humildemente a todos ellos
¡Muchas gracias!