- (Focus Area) Environment
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Being bothered by mosquitoes and troubled about the risk of diseases?
Mosquitoes are not just annoying. They can be deadly.
The seminar, titled "Natural Mosquito Control," is part of the California Farm Academy Speaker Series, and will take place from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at CLBL, located at 40140 Best Ranch Road, Woodland. The event begins with pizza and mingling, “until about 5:30, and then the presentation,” said spokesperson Julia Hobbs Thomas. Reservations can be made on Eventbrite.com at this link.
The event is billed as "a discussion about both native and invasive species, what diseases they can spread, and how healthy ecosystems can create habitats that keep them in check. Agriculture can play a big role, because pesticide use can damage populations of beneficial insects like dragonflies. You'll also pick up a few tips to avoid being bitten!"
Wood-fired pizza and beverages will served beneath the canopy of a century-old valley oak, she added. Attendees can also bring food or beverages to enjoy or share.
Said Attardo: “I will be focusing on educating people about the most imminent risks of mosquito-borne diseases in California coming from West Nile Virus—due to native Culex mosquitoes predominantly—and Aedes aegypti vectored diseases such as dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, and yellow fever. I'll discuss places these mosquitoes breed in suburban and urban habitats, as well as ways people can eliminate and prevent creation of breeding sites.“
Attardo specializes in medical entomology, reproductive physiology, molecular biology and genetics. He recently hosted a UC Davis symposium, sponsored by the Deaprtment of Entomology and Nematology and the Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, on “Tule and Cattail: A Tale of the Marsh Economy and Its Role in Human Health and Wellbeing” that aimed "to advance the land management aims of local tribal communities and provide a platform to educate about the importance of maintaining wetland biology for climate change, ecological and human health, and vector control." Attardo addressed the symposium with collaborator Diana Almendariz, a traditional ecological knowledge specialist and a cultural practitioner of Maidu/Wintun, Hupa/Yurok traditions, heritage, and experiences.
A global expert on vectorborne diseases, and renowned for his groundbreaking work on tsetse flies, Attardo received the Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology Award in 2022 from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America. (See news story)
He joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology in 2017 from the Yale School of Public Health, where he served as a research scientist studying the reproductive biology of tsetse flies. Attardo holds a doctorate in genetics (2004) from Michigan State University, studying with Alexander Raikhel.
For more information on the May 15 seminar, contact Thomas at julia@landbasedlearning.org or 415-271-0090.
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
The University of California Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM) has an exciting, newly updated resource to help you better understand pesticide active ingredients and the risks different active ingredients pose to people and the environment.
The Pesticide Active Ingredient Database is designed for urban audiences including the general public, Master Gardeners, nursery and garden center staff, pest control operators, landscapers, and more. The active ingredients included in this database can be found in many commonly available pesticide products in California. The database contains a variety of pesticide types, including insecticides, herbicides, rodenticides, antimicrobial products, and more.
Each active ingredient in the database has its own page where you can learn what it is, how it works, and what pests it can control. You can also view example products available to the general public or licensed professionals, and a table displaying the potential hazards of the active ingredient. The potential hazards table includes toxicity information for water quality or aquatic wildlife, natural enemies, honey bees, and people or other mammals. A glossary of pesticide terms is available as well to help you understand pesticide terminology.
You can use this database to compare toxicity ratings of pesticides by clicking the “Compare Risks” link or button found on UC IPM's Pest Notes fact sheets. This will help you find the least-toxic pesticide active ingredients to control a specific pest.
We hope you find this newly updated resource helpful and share with others who may be interested.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
It was all the buzz.
Thousands of bee and honey enthusiasts made a beeline for the California Honey Festival, held last Saturday on the Yolo County Fairgrounds.
The annual festival, relocated this year from the streets of downtown Woodland to the fairgrounds due to a weather forecast cautioning heavy rain and wind, drew scores of smiles beneath the arched umbrellas.
Beekeeper Rick Moehrke, a retired Vacaville teacher, answered questions about bees in the Sacramento Area Beekeepers' Association booth.
American Honey Queen Kaelyn Sumner of Cecil, Wisc., a beekeeper and a senior at Kansas State University discussed queen bees, worker bees and drones. She is majoring in agricultural education and minoring in food science and entomology.
Charles McMaster, a U.S. Army veteran from Copperas Cove, Texas, headed the Hives for Heroes booth. The national non-profit service organization focuses on sustainability, conservation, and providing a healthy transition from service: "Through our national network of beekeepers, we provide connection, purpose, and healthy relationships, through access, resources, and funding for Active Duty, Veterans, and First Responders.">
Steve Hays, retired sheriff's deputy, Sacramento County and founder of Second Chance Beekeeping Reentry Service, chronicled the history of his program and how inmates are learning beekeeping and getting "a second chance." (See news story)
Amina Harris, retired founding director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center and now the "Queen Bee" of her family's Woodland-based Z Food Specialty and The HIVE, offered guests "a taste of honey" from all over California. They also sold honey, including a family favorite, starthistle. Harris co-founded the California Honey Festival in 2017 with the City of Woodland.
Attendees tasted and purchased Hawaiian honey, with such varietals as Eucalyptus, macadamia, mango, Christmas bush, tropical blossom and wildflower, from "Queen Bee" Inna Eyrih, business owner of Hawaiian Honey AT&S, a company based in Hawaii (Keaau) and California.
GATEways horticulturist Rachel Davis of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden discussed pollinator gardening, focusing on native bees, butterflies, moths, hoverflies, and hummingbirds.
This year's California Honey Festival lived up to its mission: to emphasize the importance of bees and to promote honey and bee products. The annual festival, co-sponsored by UC Davis, features educational presentations, kids' center activities, honey tasting, cooking demonstrations, a beer and mead garden, live music, vendors and more.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Look closely at a patch of California golden poppies and you may see a sweat bee (genus Halictus) collecting gold pollen. The pollen basket is on the hind legs but you'll see "gold" also dusting the head and abdomen.
Native bee, commonly known as "halictid bee." Native plant. In fact, the California golden poppy, Eschscholzia californica, is the state flower.
And the rumor that it's "protected" and you'll get arrested if you pick a poppy along a roadside is inaccurate.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife sets the record straight on its website: "It is often believed that there are laws prohibiting the cutting or damaging of the California poppy because it is the state flower. While there is no law protecting the California poppy specifically, California Penal Code Section 384a(opens in new tab) requires written landowner permission to remove and sell plant material from land that a person does not own, and removing or damaging plants from property that a person does not own without permission may constitute trespass and/or petty theft. However, these laws do not prevent the collection of California poppies on private land by the landowner. California poppies are a beautiful and easy-to-grow addition to your garden, and although you may choose to pick them from your property, they last much longer in the ground!"
Want to learn more about native bees? California has some 1600 species of wild or non-managed bees. Be sure to read California Bees & Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists. It's the work of University of California authors, all with UC Berkeley connections: Gordon Frankie, now professor emeritus, UC Berkeley; Robbin Thorp (1933-2019), UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor who received his doctorate in entomology from UC Berkeley; photographer Rollin Coville, who holds a doctorate in entomology from UC Berkeley, and Barbara Ertter, curator at the UC Berkeley-based University Herbarium and Jepson Herbarium.
The Bohart Museum of Entomology is hosting an open house on bees, both wild and managed, from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, May 19 in Room 1124, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. It's free and family free.
- Author: Christine Casey
A previous blog covered the steps to take before starting a bee garden. Now it's time to talk about the plants and how to take care of them.
Plant selection depends on many factors, including personal preference, climate, soil type, irrigation frequency, and plant availability. There are numerous bee plant lists available, some of questionable reliability (1). I recommend using a plant list from a reputable source like a university or cooperative extension website. Use national lists based on USDA planting zones carefully. USDA zones are based on average low temperature and place areas with vastly different rainfall and humidity in the same zone. For example, southern Florida and central California are in the same USDA zone; clearly Florida plants won't grow in dry California and visa-versa.
In California, a good starting point is the Haven's list of low-water bee plants shown below.
Once plants have been selected, it's time to place them for planting. Some gardeners like to plant from a plan like this one, while other prefer to 'wing it'. Plant numbers in this diagram refer to numbers on a planting list. I like to come up with a base plan and then alter it by moving plants around to their final position.
Dig a hole that's slightly wider than the root ball. If you're planting at time when it hasn't rained for at least a week, I suggest filling the hole with water and letting it drain before placing the plant. Refill the hole with the native soil after planting. Tamp down the soil, water, and mulch. The low-water plants widely used in California gardens should be planted slightly higher than the ground level to ensure good drainage. Water needs in a new garden will vary with the plants, site, soil, and weather. A general rule is to water daily the first 7 to 10 days, every other day for the next 7 to 10 days, and then weekly the rest of the summer.
It's also important to leave some bare soil for ground nesting bees. It doesn't have to be a large area; leaving a mulch-free area along a foundation, as shown here, is fine.
High insect diversity in the wild is seen at the edges where two different habitats meet, such as a forest and a meadow. Recreate this in your garden by placing your bee garden to run along the front of a shrub border. Grouping plants of the same species together also makes bee foraging more efficient. For more ideas about bee garden design drawn from research, see this previous post.
Bee garden maintenance comes down to one word: pruning. It's essential to deadhead as frequently as possible to ensure constant new flower growth. And in the winter, do hard pruning of semi-woody shrubs like sages: at the Haven we remove about 2/3 of the plant's growth. This stimulates lots of new shoots, which flower more than older wood.
References
1. Garbuzov, M. and F. Ratnieks. 2014. Listmania: The strengths and weaknesses of lists of garden plants to help pollinators. Bioscience 64: 1019-1026.
2. Majewska, A. and S. Altizer. 2018. Planting gardens to support insect pollinators. Conservation Biology 34(1): 15-25. PDF of this paper is here.