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FORAGER--A honey bee forages on a zinnia, a colorful flower that's a member of the aster family. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Zinnias! Zinnias! Zinnias!

October 6, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Honey bees foraging on zinnias? Yes. It's not considered a "bee plant" like the salvias, lavenders and mints, but bees do forage on it occasionally. The genus, from the aster family (Asteraceae), derives its name from the German botanist, Johann Gottfried Zinn.
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PESTY YELLOWJACKET--A Western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica) sips water from a watering device at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Seeing Yellow (and Black)

October 5, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
So you're planning a big barbecue, a garden party or a wedding reception. You want to make sure that Mr. and Mrs. Yellowjacket and all their offspring--plus nephews, nieces, uncles, aunts, cousins and assorted other relatives--aren't on the invite list.
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LADYBUGS on artichoke leaf. Soon, more beneficial insects in the garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Sex Amid the Artichokes

October 4, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
What the world needs now is "love, sweet love" and...more ladybugs. Ladybeetles are our friends. They gobble up aphids and other pests in our garden, and then look around for more. They have insatiable appetites.
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Conservation Agriculture: Article

New CT radio podcast launched

October 4, 2010
By Jeannette Warnert
The Conservation Tillage and Cropping Systems Workgroup has launched a new radio podcast to provide farmers information about adopting conservation tillage techniques at their operations.
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Cover crop growing in cotton and tomato residues.
Conservation Agriculture: Article

Conservation tillage making strides in California

October 4, 2010
By Jeannette Warnert
After 10 years of experimentation, researchers at the University of Californias Westside Research and Extension Center in Five Points, Calif. have worked out a number of the kinks in conservation tillage (CT) practices for cotton and tomato rotations.
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LYGUS BUG, a serious pest of such crops as cotton, alfalfa and strawberries, is also commonly found in the garden. This one is on lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Looking for Lygus

September 30, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Frances Sivakoff knows a lygus bug when she sees one. Sivakoff (right), a doctoral candidate in the UC Davis Department of Entomology, won a 2010 Robert and Peggy van den Bosch Memorial Scholarship for her work on the regional movement of the pest.
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Colusa County: Article

April 2008

September 30, 2010
Phosphate and Rice-Field Algae Understanding Nitrogen Losses Due to Early Field Drainage Straw Incorporation and Nitrogen Management...
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FIERY SKIPPER (Hylephila phyleus) in a jet-fighter position on sedum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Skippers and Sedum

September 29, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Skippers and sedum. Sedum and skippers. A perfect match. The flower, sedum (family Crassulaceae), and the fiery skipper butterfly (Hylephila phyleus, family Hesperlidae) make a stunning autumn photo. When late afternoon sun strikes its fighter-jet wings, it glows brilliantly.
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