- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
There's a magnificent purple aster blooming in the bee yard at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, University of California, Davis.
The aster, a late-bloomer, makes for a picture-perfect apiary scene...white bee boxes in the background...purple aster in the foreground...and the sounds of bees buzzing among the flowers.
In reality, the bees are gearing up for winter, but on this sunny day, autumn mimics spring.
Meanwhile, there's an administrative buzz in the UC Davis Department of Entomology, too. The department is recruiting for an assistant professor/apiculturist.
The research focus of this position will center on investigations pertaining to honey bees (Apis mellifera) and their role in pollinating California’s $6 billion honey bee-dependent crops, according to Michael Parrella, professor and chair of the department. Possible research areas include behavior, genetics, ecology, pathology, physiology/immunology, microbiology, nutrition, toxicology, and parasitology of honey bees.
The call is out. The beginning review date is set (Dec. 1) and a bee specialist is expected to be in place by July 1, 2011.
Hear that buzz?
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Do bees stop and smell the roses?
Maybe. Honey bees gather nectar and pollen from a variety of flowers, including their favorites, the salvias, mints and lavenders. They also forage on wild roses, but usually not on commercially grown roses.
Sometimes, however, you'll see a honey bee tucked in the folds of rose petals or "resting" on a rose. Ah, the sweet smell of roses!
The quote, "Stop and smell the roses," is often attributed to golfer Walter Hagen in the 1956 book "The Walter Hagen Story" but he didn't mention roses. The quote: "You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way."
Do worker bees stop and smell the roses?
For sure, bees are here for only a short while. Worker bees generally live four to six weeks. During the busy season, a 60,000-member colony will lose some 1000 workers a day, says Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty. The queen bee replaces them by laying 1000 to 2000 eggs a day.
All that work to build up the colony...then poof! their lives end.
Well, maybe they stop and rest on the roses.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
And also barbecued marinated ball tip and chicken quarters with barbecued beans and salad.
You can't ask for anything better than that! Bugs on the agenda and ball tip on the plates! (Well, salad, too!)
The occasion: the last Nor Cal meeting of the year. The members and their guests will meet from 9:15 a.m. to 2:30 in the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District, 155 Mason Circle, Concord.
One of the hot topics is a newly discovered disease that kills black walnut trees.
Research entomologist Steve Seybold (above) of the Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Davis, and an affiliate of the Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, will provide an update on the disease at 10:15 a.m. Caused by a newly described fungus (Geosmithia morbida) spread by the tiny walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis), it is known as "thousand cankers disease."
The disease is becoming a "significant problem" in California and seven other western states and could very well spread throughout the United States. It was detected in Tennessee last summer.
The society's agenda:
9:15 a.m.
Registration for club members and guests, with coffee
9:30 a.m.
“Bedding Plant/Container Color Alliance in California,” Christine Casey, UC Davis
10:15 a.m.
“Thousand Cankers Disease” by Steve Seybold of the USDA Forest Service and an affiliate of the UC Davis Department of Entomology
11 a.m.
“Statewide Invasive Insect and Mite Activities, 2009-2010, by Kevin Hoffman, Pest Detection and Emergency Projects, California Department of Food and Agriculture
11:45 a.m.
Annual business meeting; election of officers
12 Noon
Catered lunch by Kinder’s Custom Meats (barbecued marinated ball tip and chicken quarters with barbecued beans, tossed green salad, potato and fresh fruit salads, assorted soft drinks and cookie for $15)
1:15 p.m.
“UC Berkeley Drywood Termite Inspection Research Update” by Robin Tabuchi of UC Berkeley
2 p.m.
“Oriental Fruit Moth Parasitoid" by UC Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) Program Advisor Walter Bentley, UC Kearney Agricultural Center, Pariier
The Northern California Entomology Society meets three times a year: the first Thursday in February in Sacramento; the first Thursday in May, at UC Davis; and the first Thursday in November in Concord. Membership is open to the public; dues are $10 year. The president is agricultural biologist Matthew Slattengren of the Contra Costa County Department of Agriculture.
Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty serves as the secretary-treasurer and is taking reservations for the luncheon. He may be reached at ecmussen@ucdavis.edu or call (530) 752-0472.
The society is comprised of university faculty, researchers, pest abatement professionals, students and other interested persons.
The officers are hoping to build up membership in the organization, so if you have a keen interest in bugs--or what's bugging California--sign up!
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Integrated pest management specialist Frank Zalom (right), professor of entomology at UC Davis, is the 2010 recipient of the "Award for Excellence in Integrated Pest Management” from the Entomological Society of America (ESA), a 6000-member worldwide organization.
This is a highly esteemed award and well deserved. Zalom will receive the award at the ESA’s 58th annual meeting, set Dec. 12-15 in San Diego.
Colleague Jocelyn Millar, an entomology professor at UC Riverside who nominated Zalom for the award, described him as “one of the most influential scientists in the development and implementation of IPM policy and practices in the United States and the world, through his numerous and continuing contributions as a leader, director, and organizer.”
Millar applauded Zalom for “truly extraordinary record of achievement and service to IPM extending over several decades.”
In addition to his professorial duties, Zalom is an extension agronomist, and an entomologist in the Agricultural Experiment Station. He is a former vice chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology.
His current research focuses primarily 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.
Zalom has been heavily involved in research and leadership in IPM activities at the state, national and international levels. He is experiment station co-chair of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) National IPM Committee and directed the UC IPM Statewide IPM Program for 16 years.
A fellow of ESA and the California Academy of Sciences, Zalom has received numerous other honors for his work. Earlier this year, the Pacific Branch of ESA presented him with its “Excellence in IPM Award.” In 2008, Zalom was part of a team receiving an International IPM Excellence Award at the sixth International IPM Symposium, held in Portland, Ore. Also in 2008, he was part of the seven-member University of California Almond Pest Management Alliance IPM Team that received the Entomological Foundation’s "Award for Excellence in IPM" at the ESA's meeting in Reno.
In nearly three decades with the UC Davis Department of Entomology, Zalom has published almost 300 refereed papers and book chapters, and 340 technical and extension articles. These 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, and determination of host feeding and oviposition preferences of pests.
During his 16-year tenure as director of the statewide UC IPM Program, Zalom supported transitioning the program from a paper-based source of publications and information to one that has universally accessible Web-based information.
“The position and influence of the UC IPM and its publications and resources that are used by growers, IPM professionals, regulatory personnel, and homeowners worldwide, cannot be underestimated,” Millar said, “and this is in large part due to Dr. Zalom’s excellent stewardship of the program through rapidly changing times.”
While director of the program, Zalom also obtained the USDA grant that provided the first funding base for the new UC Exotic Pests and Diseases Research Program, and another multimillion dollar USDA grant (with Rick Melnicoe and Michael Stimmann) to fund the Western Pest Management Center.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The eyespots--they're almost hypnotic.
And that's what makes the buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia) so easily recognizable--the bold pattern of eyespots on the wings, bold enough to startle and scare away prey.
This buckeye (below) fluttered along the grounds of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis, and finally dropped to the bare soil.
It appeared almost camouflaged...except for those magnificent eyespots.
