Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

They fondly call her "The Wasp Woman" in reference to her specialty. She is a recognized expert on aculeate wasps and works with some of the most difficult groups, including tiphiids and chrysidids.

If poet Gertrude Stein were alive today, she might say "A bee is a bee is a bee" instead of "a rose is a rose is a rose." Or, she might say "A fly is a fly is a fly." Oh, my.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Western Society of Weed Science last week down in Albuquerque, and it was a great time! As always there was quality information presented throughout the meeting along with great discussion about weeds inside and outside of the sessions.

Mosquitoes have their place. Fossil records confirm that mosquitoes existed at least 200 million years ago. Today we know that they are responsible for such diseases as malaria, yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, West Nile and Zika. Globally, millions die of mosquito-borne diseases annually.

In the movie, "Field of Dreams," an Iowa corn farmer hears a voice whispering "If you build it, he will come." Apparently thinking this is the voice of his father, the farmer plows under his corn and builds a baseball field. We are hearing a similar whisper as spring approaches.

"A" is for almonds and "Z" is for Zamora. Mark your calendar for Tuesday, March 15 for a two-hour workshop, "Almond Pollination and Orchard Pollinator Planters" in Zamora, Yolo County. It's free and open to the public.

Exploring the art and science of pruning.

View a four-minute video. A tell-tale sign of spring in California is a flush of new leaf growth on citrus trees.

I wanted to send out a friendly reminder that the data submission deadline for the current data call is March 31, 2016. Data submitted before March 31 are evaluated for inclusion in the appropriate update cycle, and submissions after March 31 are typically considered in subsequent updates.

IGIS is excited to be working with 3D Robotics (3DR) to explore new applications of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) for monitoring agriculture and natural resources.