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CARPENTER BEE nectars a rock purslane. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

In the Pink

August 11, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Thunder boomed across the garden. The carpenter bee (Xylocopata tabaniformis orpifex) meant business. She headed straight for the slowly opening rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora). Never mind that the petals hadn't quite unfolded.
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HONEY BEE, with tongue extended, heads for catmint (Nepeta faassenii). This will be among the plants in the half-acre Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, to be open to the public Oct. 16 on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

'Mint' Condition

August 10, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Honey bees love catmint as much as cats love catnip. Fact is, catmint and catnip belong to the same family: the mint family or Lamiaceae. The family also includes such aromatic celebrities as peppermint, sage, thyme, lavender, basil and oregano. So, when the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven opens Oct.
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THIS HONEY BEE, sipping water from a leaf, is safe and secure--but not if hordes of Rasberry crazy ants find her. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Beleaguered Bee, Crazy Ant

August 7, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's a crazy world out there. Now our beleaguered honey bee has a new foe: the Rasberry crazy ant, Paratrechina sp. nr. pubens. The Rasberry crazy ant is driving Texans crazy.
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CLOSE-UP of a bee sting. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

The Sting

August 6, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Beekeepers consider stings just a part of their job. However, say the word "bee" and John Q. and Jane Q. Public may not think about the pollination of fruits, vegetables and nuts. Or the end product: honey. The bee conjures up the "S" word: sting.
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ORB WEAVER at work. The end product is nature's lace and an engineering feat, and, if she's lucky, a feast tonight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Nature's Lace

August 5, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
A spider web is nature's lace, a symmetrical work of wonder. Well, a sticky, deadly trap if you're an insect. Then you become just another tasty morsel for the predacious, albeit artistic, spider.
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MALE CARPENTER BEE, Xylocopata tabaniformis orpifex, robbing nectar from sage. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Catching up with the Carpenters

August 4, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Catching up with the carpenters is not always easy. Not the construction workers--the carpenter bees. They move fast as they buzz from flower to flower. California is home to three carpenter bee species, says native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis.
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BUMBLE BEE (Bombus bifarious) nectaring coastal goldfields at Bodega Bay. This species is the second most common bumble bee species at Bodega Bay. This is a worker or female. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Bumble Bees at Bodega Bay

August 3, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Thars gold in them thar hills. And also bumble bees. If you visit the Sonoma County coastal town of Bodega Bay, and drive up to Bodega Head overlooking the ocean, youll see a carpet of gold flowers known as coastal goldfields or Lasthenia minor.
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CLASSIC RETINUE--A queen bee is surrounded by her royal attendants--the retinue. (Photo courtesy of Susan Cobey, Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis)
Bug Squad: Article

Hail to the Queen

July 31, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Oh, to be a queen bee... Her Royal Highness (HRH) is quite pampered. She's always surrounded by her royal attendants, called the retinue. They tend to her every need. They feed and groom her. They keep her warm or cool, depending on the temperature inside the hive.
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Colusa County: Article

July 2009

July 31, 2009
Panicle initiation and differentiation, herbicide programs for resistant late watergrass, managing nitrogen fertilization for early season drains...
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CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLY(Pieris rapae) nectars catmint. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Lady in White

July 30, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) looks like a Lady in White when she perches on catmint. The colors are striking: A long, flowing white gown nestled among the rich lavender blossoms and earthy green leaves.
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