- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is planned for Sunday, March 6, 2022. This is the 11th year of this free, science-focused event. It was initially scheduled for Feb 20, but was changed due to concerns about the Omicron COVID-19 surge and making the event accessible to undergraduates.
It will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the UC Davis Conference Center, 550 Alumni Lane, with special access "field trips" to places like the Department of Entomology and Nematology's Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee garden on Bee Biology Road.
COVID-19 pandemic precautions kept the 2021 event virtual (traditionally it's scheduled for Presidents' Day Weekend) but in 2022 it will be in person. And, of course, state, county and university safety guidelines will be closely followed. "Currently those are UC Davis-symptom survey approval, masks, and either a vaccine card or a negative test from the prior 72 hours," says coordinator Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology. "We will have people checking at the front doors. UC Davis requires a safety plan for an indoor event for over 100 people and so we are developing that and will be working with event conference center staff to ensure we are following all the guidelines. We are excited to try in person this year after our 100 percent virtual event last year, but we want to be smart and safe about it for us as well as for visitors."
In the past, participants enjoyed visiting these collections in person:
- Anthropology Museum
- Arboretum and Public Garden
- Bohart Museum of Entomology
- Botanical Conservatory
- California Raptor Center
- Center for Plant Diversity
- Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven
- Nematode Collection
- Marine Invertebrate Collection
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology
- Paleontology Collection
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection
- Viticulture and Enology Collection
Stay tuned for which collections will be featured at the 2022 event in the UC Davis Conference Center, and what special- access field trips are planned. The committee is working out the details at its Zoom meetings. For up-to-date information, visit the the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day and follow on Twitter and Facebook.
Just be sure to clear your calendar for Sunday, March 6, 2022. The 11th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is happening.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Registration for the seventh annual International Pollinator Conference, billed Wednesday, July 17 through Saturday, July 20 in the UC Davis Conference Center, is now underway.
You can register online on the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center site.
At the conference, chaired by pollination ecologist/professor Neal M. Williams and Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño, both of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, you can learn of recent research advances in the biology and health of pollinators.
The conference, themed “Multidimensional Solutions to Current and Future Threats to Pollinator Health,” will cover a wide range of topics in pollinator research: from genomics to ecology and their application to land use and management; to breeding of managed bees; and to monitoring of global pollinator populations. Topics discussed will include recent research advances in the biology and health of pollinators, and their policy implications.
Keynote speakers are Christina Grozinger, distinguished professor of entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research, Pennsylvania State University, (the research center launched the annual pollinator conferences in 2012) and Lynn Dicks, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, England.
Grozinger studies health and social behavior in bees and is developing comprehensive approaches to improving pollinator health and reduce declines. Lynn Dicks, an internationally respected scientist, studies bee ecology and conservation. She received the 2017 John Spedan Lewis Medal for contributions to insect conservation.
Other speakers include:
- Claudio Gratton, professor, Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Quinn McFrederick, assistant professor, Department of Entomology, UC Riverside
- Scott McArt, assistant professor, Department of Entomology, Cornell University
- Maj Rundlöf, International Career Grant Fellow, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sweden
- Juliette Osborne, professor and chair, Applied Ecology, University of Exeter, England
- Maggie Douglas, assistant professor, Environmental Studies, Dickinson College
The UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, directed by Amina Harris, is playing a major role in the international conference. Events manager Elizabeth Luu is the conference coordinator.
Early-bee registration: $350 (general) and $175 (student discount). After May 15, 2019, registration is $450 (general), $250 (student). For more information, check the website, https://honey.ucdavis.edu/events/2019-international-pollinator-conference.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Except for a little liquid sunshine.
Unexpected rain, however, won't deter beekeepers, bee scientists and other bee enthusiasts from gathering in the UC Davis Conference Center on Alumni Drive at 8:30 a.m. for the all-day conference. They'll wear their rain gear and wield their umbrellas.
One thing, however, has changed. the outdoor reception planned for the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road, west of the central campus, has been moved indoors to the Sensory Building, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science on Old Davis Road.
Keynote speaker is noted bee scientist/professor/author Tom Seeley of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., who will speak on "Darwinian Beekeeping."
The event is sponsored by the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science, and the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
The daylong event "is designed for beekeepers of all experience levels, including gardeners, farmers and anyone interested in the world of pollination and bees," said Amina Harris, director of the Honey and Pollination Center. "In addition to our speakers, there will be lobby displays featuring graduate student research posters, the latest in beekeeping equipment, books, honey, plants, and much more."
As of today (March 1), 25 more attendees can be accommodated.
The conference begins with registration and a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m., with welcomes and introductions at 9 a.m., by Amina Harris and Neal Williams, UC Davis professor of entomology and faculty co-director of the center. Seeley's keynote address at 9:15 a.m. follows.
10:15 a.m. The Evolution and Chemical Ecology of Orchid Bees
Santiago Ramírez, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology
10:45 a.m. Break
Graduate student posters available for viewing
11 a.m. Understanding the Nuances of Honey: An Educational Tasting
Amina Harris, director, Honey and Pollination Center, Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science, UC Davis
12 Noon. Master Beekeeper Program
Honoring the Apprentice Level Master Beekeepers—Pin Ceremony
Elina Lastro Niño, Extension Apiculturist, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology
Bernardo Niño, staff research associate, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology
12:30 p.m. Lunch
Graduate student poster presentations
Educational exhibits
2 p.m. An Update from Project Apis m
Danielle Downey, executive director, Project Apis m
2:45 p.m. Designing Bee-Friendly Gardens
Kate Frey of Hopland, Calif., ecological garden designer, consultant and columnist, and co-author of The Bee-Friendly Garden (with Gretchen LeBuhn, professor of biology, San Francisco State University). The book won the American Horticultural Society 2017 Book Award.
3:30 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. Lightning Round
4 to 6-minute presentations about many different programs in the world of beekeeping followed by a question and answer session
4:30 p.m. Winners of the Graduate Student Poster Competition Announced
4:45 p.m. Close
Reception in the Sensory Building, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, Old Davis Road
To register for one of the 25 spots available, just access the Honey and Pollination Center website. For more information, contact Amina Harris at aharris@ucdavis.edu or Liz Luu at luu@caes.ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Things are buzzing over at the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Science on the University of California, Davis campus.
The RMI folks are gearing up for the big Honey! event, set for 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 21 in the UC Davis Conference Center.
It's not every day that there's an all-day event about honey. Clare Hasler-Lewis, executive director of RMI and executive assistant Kim Bannister promise a "sweet" event--"too sweet not to miss."
Yes, there will be talks about honey and bees, a honey-themed lunch, honey tasting and a honey taste-off. To add to the sweetness: Gimbal's Fine Candies of San Francisco is donating individual-sized packets of Honey Lovers, its popular candy made with honey. This company generously donates 5 percent of the proceeds from the sale of Honey Lovers for UC Davis bee research (Department of Entomology).
And, then there's the sweet harmony of the Honeybee Trio, comprised of three teenagers from Vacaville. They'll sing "Sugartime," and...cross your fingers...they may come up with a version of Jimmie Rodgers' "Honeycomb."
Meanwhile the "bee guys"--Eric Mussen, Brian Johnson and Norm Gary--are polishing their speeches as are the other speakers, Louis Grivetti and Liz Applegate, all UC Davis faculty or former faculty.
Beekeeper Brian Fishback of Wilton will bring in two bee observation hives. Other displays include a beekeeping exhibit from the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility and bee specimens from the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
Check out the Honey! agenda on the RMI website. You can reserve your space there or contact Kim Bannister at kbannister@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-5171.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Honey in the morning
Honey in the evening
Honey at suppertime
Be my little honey
And love me all the time...
So sang the McGuire Sisters in their 1958 hit tune, "Sugartime."
And so will sing the Honeybee Trio of Vacaville at the Honey! event on Friday, Oct. 21 in the UC Davis Conference Center. The site is located across from the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.
The public celebration of honey and bees, set from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., will include talks by five UC Davis or former UC Davis faculty, a honey-themed lunch, a "best honey" contest and a reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m. where the Honeybee Trio will sing.
The group, together for three years, includes Karli Bosler, 16, Sarah McElwain, 15, and Natalie Angst, 16. They visited the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven at UC Davis today, checked out the six-foot-long bee sculpture by Davis artist Donna Billick, and met with Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen and native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology.
Does anyone in the Honeybee Trio keep bees? No, but Natalie's aunt is a beekeeper in Fremont.
At the Oct. 21st event, beekeepers are invited to bring their best jar of honey for a judging contest. Attendees will decide the winners, and prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners.
Honey varieties are expected to include clover, fireweed, orange blossom, eucalyptus, tupelo, safflower and buckwheat. Further details will be announced on the RMI website athttp://robertmondaviinstitute.ucdavis.edu/honey.
“There will be special prizes for the best honey,” said event coordinator Clare Hasler-Lewis, executive director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science (RMI), which is sponsoring the event.
Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Department of Entomology, a co-sponsor, will coordinate the honey tasteoff. He also spearheads the honey tasting at Briggs Hall during the annual UC Davis Picnic Day celebration.
Morning speakers are Mussen, who will discuss “The Wonder of Honey Bees”; assistant professor/bee biologist Brian Johnson, who will speak on “How Bees Cooperate to Make Honey and What they Do With It When We Don't”; and emeritus professor/bee scientist Norman Gary, an author and professional bee wrangler, whose topic is “Hobby Beekeeping in Urban Environments.”
Afternoon speakers are Louis Grivetti, professor emeritus, Department of Nutrition, discussing “Historical Uses of Honey as Food” and Liz Applegate, professor, Department of Nutrition and director of Sports Nutrition Program, “Sweet Success—Honey for Better Health and Performance.”
Honey tasting, coordinated by Mussen, is scheduled from 3 to 3:45 p.m.
At the reception--guests will sip wine and sample honey--the Honeybee Trio and the Jazz Nuances will perform. The Honeybee Trio's specializes in classics from the 1930s and beyond in three part-harmony. The Jazz Nuances: jazz standards with "a sound and feel reminiscent of the 1950s and '60s West Coast Cool Sound."
Norm Gary will sign and sell his newly published book, “Honey Bee Hobbyist: The Care and Keeping of Bees.” On display will be beekeeping equipment from the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, bee observation hives, and bee and book products by Rev Honey (Ron Fessenden, M.D.)
There's still time to make reservations. Recently reduced prices are: industry members and the public: $50; UC faculty, staff and Friends of the RMI: $35, and UC students, $15. For those attending the reception only, the cost is $10 general admission and $5 for students. Reservations may be made online at http://robertmondaviinstitute.ucdavis.edu/honey or with Kim Bannister at bannister@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-5171.
This is a first-of-a-kind event at UC Davis...and the place to "bee" on Oct. 21 if you want to know more about bees and honey.