If there's anything better than one ladybug, it's two ladybugs.

And if there's anything better than two ladybugs, it's a cluster of ladybugs.

Our bee friendly garden is devoid of bees, but about 12 ladybugs are overwintering near the house. Some are in the artemsia bush, and others are in the folds of tangerine leaves.

Like postal carriers, they're weathering the driving rain, the bitter cold and the harsh winds. At times it seems like they're puppies cuddling to stay warm.

Ladybugs, aka ladybird beetles, aka lady beetles (family Coccinellidae) are beneficial bugs. They're predators and rid the garden of aphids, scale insects, mites, mealybugs and other soft-bodied insects.

Soon, as spring approaches, they'll do just that.

When does personality matter?

Jonathan Pruitt, a postdoctoral fellow with the Center for Population Biology, UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology, will speak on “From Individuals to Populations to Communities: When Does Personality Matter?” at the next UC Davis Department of Entomology seminar, set for Wednesday, Jan. 19.

His talk, open to the pubic, is from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in 1022 Life Sciences Addition (LSA), corner of Hutchison Drive and Kleiber Hall Drive. It will be webcast live and then archived on the UC Davis Department of Entomology website. Graduate student Meredith Cenzer of the Louie Yang lab will host the talk.

This is the third in a series of seminars for the winter quarter planned by graduate student Ian Pearse of the Rick Karban lab. Graduate students host the lectures, which take place every Wednesday noon in 1022 LSA through March 9.

If you missed the first two lectures, not to worry. They're archived here.

Rob Dunn, assistant professor, Department of Biology North Carolina State University, launched the series with a talk on “Using Collaborative Approaches to See the Geography and Future of Life: Lessons From Ants.”

Amanda Hodson, postdoctoral scholar in the UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, spoke this week on "Ecological Influence of the Entomopathogenic Nematode, Steinernema carpocapsae, on Soil Arthropods in Pistachio Orchards."

kiddspecimenssmall

The UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program and the Pence Gallery, Davis, are co-sponsoring a “Consilience of Art and Science Exhibit,” set Jan. 14-Feb. 27, at the Pence Gallery, 212 D St., Davis.

This will include several special events: a reception on Jan. 14 from 6 to 9 p.m.; a talk by Byron Wolfe, photographer and professor of art at California State University, Chico, who will discuss the work of pioneer photographer Eadweard Muybridge; and a juror’s walk-through from 6 to 7 p.m.,  Feb. 11. All are free and open to the public. (See more information.)

Diane Ullman, co-founder and co-director of the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, and James Housefield, professor of design at UC Davis, juried the show, which drew artists from California, including Davis and northern California; New Mexico, Oregon, Washington state, and New York.

“The artwork we received from artists across the nation explores the creative nexus where art and science interconnect," said Ullman, associate dean for undergraduate academic programs at the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and professor of entomology.  "The exhibit is visually and intellectually exciting and we commend the Pence Gallery for sponsoring it.”

Said Housefield: "Artists' investigations of the forms, structures, practices, and philosophies of science have provided long provided ways for the general public to dream about what art and science can become. We are very fortunate that the resources of the University of California, the arts communities of Davis, and a national array of contemporary artists come together in the space where art and science meet. I hope that this version of the 'Consilience' exhibition will spark more conversations about the ways that artists and scientists may inspire one another."

One of the works, by Joanna Kidd of Davis, is titled "Specimens." It is comprised of three wall cases and a floor case.  Specimens are small human sculptures (see top photo), all pinned and displayed as they would be in an insect collection.

So very creative!

Housefield's comment about the ways that artists and scientists can inspire one another definitely holds true with "Specimens."

frankzalomforweb

Professor Frank Zalom (right) an integrated pest management (IPM) specialist with the UC Davis Department of Entomology for three decades, was among the 503 people selected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

The good:
In California alone, 54 University of California scientists were named fellows for "efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished."

The sad:
Ironically, this comes the day after Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a budget that slashes $500 million from the UC system. UC President Mark G. Yudof, calling it a sad day for California, yesterday pointed out that if the proposed budget is approved, for the first time in UC's 143-year history, student tuition revenue will surpass what the state contributes to the university's core operating budget.

The bad:
It's bad-news-for-pests because of the good work that entomologists like Frank Zalom and his colleagues are doing. Some of the pests that Zalom and his lab target are the greenhouse whiteflies, olive fruit fly, light brown apple moth, and the spotted wing Drosophila.

Zalom, former director of the UC Statewide IPM Program (16 years), is known internationally for his IPM expertise. Indeed, AAAS singled him out for his  “distinguished scholarly,  educational and administrative contributions that have significantly advanced  the science and application of integrated pest management in agriculture nationally and internationally.”

Zalom focuses his research on California specialty crops, including tree crops (almonds, olives, prunes, peaches), small fruits (grapes, strawberries, caneberries), and fruiting vegetables (tomatoes), as well as international IPM programs.

The IPM strategies and tactics Zalom has developed include monitoring procedures, thresholds, pest development and population models, biological controls and use of less toxic pesticides, which have become standard in practice and part of the UC IPM Guidelines for these crops.

in his 30-year career, Zalom has published almost 300 refereed papers and book chapters, and 340 technical and extension articles.  The articles span a wide range of topics related to IPM, including introduction and management of newer, soft insecticides, development of economic thresholds and sampling methods, management of invasive species, biological control, insect population dynamics, pesticide runoff mitigation, and determination of host feeding and oviposition preferences of pests.

So, it's the good, the sad and the bad....

The good (the AAAS fellows and their accomplishments), the sad (the proposed UC budget cuts) and the bad (bad days for pests because of the good that scientists do--and hopefully, will continue to do).