- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Christine Casey, academic program management officer of the Bee Haven, will teach the classes. The $50 registration fee for each class covers a light breakfast and course materials. Proceeds will support the operation of The Haven.
The first class, on "I Planted a Bee Garden," will take place Saturday, Oct. 29 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Bee Haven, located on Bee Biology Road, next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. Topics will cover turf removal and weed control, best bee plants for new gardeners, and turf vs. bee garden maintenance. Enrollment is limited to 25. To register, access
http://registration.ucdavis.edu/Item/Details/870.
The second class, "Pruning the Bee Garden," will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 5. "Bee gardens are all about flowers, and pruning The Haven's plants is an essential part of creating ample flowers for our bees," Casey said. Topics will include pruning techniques and strategies for many plant types; the science and biology of pruning; and practice pruning techniques in The Haven. To register, access
https://registration.ucdavis.edu/Item/Details/871.
UC Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño of the Department of Entomology and Nematology serves the faculty director of the half-acre garden, planted in the fall of 2019 under the direction of interim department chair Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Häagen-Dazs was the primary donor. (See timeline and history of the garden.)
The garden features art projects by the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, co-founded and co-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 of Davis. A 200-pound ceramic-mosaic bee sculpture, Miss Bee Haven by Billick anchors the garden.
The Haven is open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free. For more information access the website, Facebook page, Casey's Bee Gardener blog on the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources website, the Instagram account or the Twitter account.