- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
You're likely to see many species of bees at the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 9 on Bee Biology Road, University of California, Davis.
The half-acre bee garden, operated by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and primarily funded by the premier ice cream brand, was planted in the fall of 2009. It's located west of the central campus, next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility.
The garden contains scores of bee friendly plants, visited by honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, sweat bees, European wool carder bees and other pollinators.
Two of the bees you'll see Saturday are the Valley carpenter bees. The male and females are clear examples of sexual dimorphism. The male, often called "a teddy bear bee," is blond with green eyes, while the female is a solid black.
Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, collected a couple of the male Valley carpenter bees today for the spring open house. If you're apprehensive about touching them, don't bee. "Boy bees don't sting," he says.
A six-foot-long sculpture of a worker bee, "Miss Bee Haven," the work of Donna Billick of Davis, anchors the haven. Throughout the garden, you'll see the ceramic mosaic work of the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, co-founded and co-directed by Diane Ullman, professor of entomology at UC Davis, and Billick, a self-described "rock artist."
The garden took shape under then interim department chair Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology at UC Davis and director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Scores of professionals and volunteers made it all possible. (See History of the Haven.)
Today it is managed by entomologists Christine Casey, staff program representative, and Extension apiculturist Elina Niño, faculty director of the haven.
The open house will include a tour of the garden at noon. Other activities:
- Learn to catch and observe bees up close
- See honey bees at work in an observation beehive
- Learn about bee diversity and identification
- Learn about what and how to plant for bees
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology has scheduled a fall open house, the last of the season, at its Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Friday, Oct. 2 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. It's free and open to the public.
The half-acre bee friendly garden is located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, west of the central campus.
The theme is "IPM in the Bee Garden." Participating will be representatives of the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM). Karey Windbiel-Rojas, associate director for Urban and Community IPM/Area IPM Advisor, and Anne Schellman, urban IPM educator, will provide information on pest solutions that are bee friendly, such as non-chemical methods and less toxic methods.
The bee garden was planted in the fall of 2009 under the direction of then interim department chair Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology. At the time, she said: ""The Honey Bee Haven will be a pollinator paradise. It will provide a much needed, year-round food source for our bees at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. We anticipate it also will be a gathering place to inform and educate the public about bees. We are grateful to Haagen-Dazs for its continued efforts to ensure bee health."
Others who played a key role in the founding and "look" of the garden included the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, founded and directed by the duo of entomologist/artist Diane Ullman, professor and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, and self-described "rock artist" Donna Billick, a noted artist. Billick crafted the six-foot long mosaic ceramic sculpture of a worker bee, "Miss Beehaven," that anchors the garden. The art in the garden is the work of their Entomology 1 students and community residents. Extension apiculturist (now emeritus) Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology offered input throughout the conception, design and installation. Davis Boy Scout Derek Tully built the state-of-the-art fence around the garden as his Eagle project. (See more of history here)
New additions include a viable honey bee hive; benches and a shade structure donated by the California Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution; and more bee condos for leafcutter bees and blue orchard bees. The garden is managed by staff director Christine Casey at cacasey@ucdavis.edu and faculty staff director Elina Niño, Extension apiculturist, at elnino@ucdavis.edu. Check out the haven website for a list of plants (both common and scientific names), upcoming events, how to volunteer, how to donate, and other information.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Talk about a pollen-packing bumble bee.
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, displayed quite a heavy load of orange pollen recently as it foraged on hairy vetch in the Hastings Preserve, Carmel, owned and operated by the University of California, Berkeley.
Did you know that Monday, June 15 marks the start of National Pollinator Week?
It's sponsored by the Pollinator Partnership, which offers these fast facts about pollinators:
- About 75 percent of all flowering plant species need the help of animals to move their heavy pollen grains from plant to plant for fertilization.
- About 1,000 of all pollinators are vertebrates such as birds, bats, and small mammals.
- Most pollinators (about 200,000 species) are beneficial insects such as flies, beetles, wasps, ants, butterflies, moths, and bees.
- In the United States, pollination produces nearly $20 billion worth of products annually
In observation of National Pollinator Week, the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is planning an open house at its bee garden, the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Friday, June 19. The half-acre bee garden is located on Bee Biology Road, next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, west of the central campus.
Activities will include bee observation and identification, honey tasting, sales of native bee houses to support the haven, and information about low-water plants.
You're likely to see such pollinators as honey bees, bumble bees, sweat bees, syrphid flies, and butterflies.
The open house is free and open to the public. The garden, planted in the fall of 2009 during the tenure of Lynn Kimsey, then interim chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, is now managed by Christine Casey, staff, and Extension apiculturist Elina Niño, faculty.
It showcases the work of the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, co-directed and co-founded by Diane Ullman and Donna Billick; and the work of students in Entomology 1, taught by Ullman and Billick. The state-of-the-art fence that circles the garden is the work of Eagle Scout Derek Tully of Boy Scout Troop 111, Davis.
The bee garden is open daily from dawn to dusk.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's almost time to celebrate! Or cele-bee-ate!
In observation of National Pollinator Week, the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology has scheduled an open house at its half-acre bee garden, the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven from 5:30 to 7 p..m., Friday, June 19. The haven is located on Bee Biology Road, next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, west of the central campus.
Activities will include bee observation and identification, honey tasting, sales of native bee houses to support the haven, and information about low-water plants.
Low-water plants? This is especially important now that California is in the fourth year of a severe drought. Many people are letting their lawns go from green to brown, removing their lawns to plant bee-friendly plants, or selecting drought-tolerant plants.
The garden is open from dawn to dusk every day of the week. Admission is free. It's anchored by a six-foot-long mosaic sculpture of a worker bee, "Miss Beehaven," the work of Davis artist Donna Billick, co-founder and co-director (emeritus) of the UC Davis Art Science Fusion Project.
The haven was planted in 2009, thanks to a generous donation from Häagen-Dazs. More than 50 percent of their ice cream flavors depend on pollination.
The garden came to life under the direction of Lynn Kimsey, interim chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. "I suggested the idea of a demonstration bee garden that would serve two purposes, to provide food for our colonies and as a lovely place to educate the public," Kimsey recalled. Professor Kimsey directs the Bohart Museum of Entomology, home of nearly eight million specimens, and teaches entomology.
A Sausalito team--landscape architects Donald Sibbett and Ann F. Baker, interpretative planner Jessica Brainard and exhibit designer Chika Kurotaki--won the international design competition
Kimsey was singled out for her work in founding and directing the installation of the garden when the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America honored her and four others--"The Bee Team"--with the 2013 outstanding team award. The history of the garden is on the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology website at http://bit.ly/1OAtD6W.
A private opening of the garden occurred Oct. 16, 2009 and a grand opening celebration took place Sept. 11, 2010.
Haven manager Chris Casey offers group tours for a nominal fee. Access the website for more information. The website also includes a list of plants in the haven list of plants in the haven, by common name and botanical name; a list of donors and how to donate.
The haven is a good place to "bee" on June 19.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The first day of May calls for a little color.
And the blanket flower (Gaillardia) fills the bill. Native to North and South America, it's a member of the sunflower family, Asteraceae.
Its delightful yellow and red flowers remind us of the Native American Indian blankets. It was named, however, for Frenchman M. Gaillard de Charentonneau, who is often described as "an 18th century French magistrate, patron of botany, naturalist, amateur botanist, and member of the Académie des Sciences."
The blanket flower was among the first flowers planted at the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre UC Davis bee friendly garden on Bee Biology Road operated by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
If you're around Davis on Saturday, May 2, stop at the haven for the fifth anniversary celebration, set from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A public ceremony will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Michael Parrella, professor and chair of the department, will welcome the crowd at 10:30.
Raj Brahmbhatt, associate brand manager of Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream at Nestle USA, Dreyer's Ice Cream company, will speak at 10:50 a.m. on “What the Haven Means to Us.” Christine Casey, manager of the haven, will discuss “What Your Donations Mean to the Haven” at 11:15.
Public events at the haven through 2 p.m. will include discussions on how to observe and identify bees, what to plant to help bees, and how you can help the bees (leafcutter bees and mason bees) by providing bee condos. There also will be beekeeping demonstrations and garden tours. Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, will show the unforgettable male Valley carpenter bee (blond with green eyes), which he fondly calls "the teddy bear bee." It's all warm and fuzzy. And it doesn't sting, because, as Thorp points out, "it's a boy bee."