Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

Citrus Leafminer calls are up these last few weeks. This is one of those insects that loves new tissue and the fall flush usually gets it pretty badly because their populations have been hovering around all summer waiting for some new flush to come.

University of Minnesota honey bee researcher Marla Spivak, in her TED talk on honey bee health, referred to bees as "flower feeders." That they are. Flower feeders. As are other pollinators from butterflies to beetles to bats.

If you've never been up close and personal with a praying mantis, here's your chance. At the Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 1 to 4 p.m., at the University of California, Davis, you'll see not one, but two, praying mantids. And very much alive.

Eye gnats are small nuisance flies that are attracted to people's eyes, noses and mouths or sweating skin and open sores. They breed in moist soil that is high in decaying organic matter, often in agricultural operations.

What a gorgeous fruit. Slice it cross-wise and you have a star-shaped garnish for salad or cooked dish. But you need to find a buyer for it. The star fruit, or carambola, is a member of the oxalis family.

Photos of honey bees can sometimes exude a dreamy, even ethereal quality, but in real life, bees are in trouble. That's why Marla Spivak's TED talk should be required viewing.

Since beginning the California phase of my career eight years ago (first with USDA-ARS and more recently with University of California), I have been involved to one degree or another in soil fumigation projects.

It happened so quickly. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) fluttered to the lantana for a sip of nectar when the unexpected happened. A praying mantis, lying in wait, leaped high and grabbed it by its wings. Unable to fly, the monarch struggled to right itself.

Who a thunk it, but coffee can grow in coastal California, because our latitude approximates the climate found in high altitude coffee growing areas found in Central America. And now there is a "small" industry growing here.

These are courtesy of Christopher Dow, crew leader for our SNAMP field work. They were in the Last Chance area gathering post-treatment data when the American Fire started. They were able to collect all the field data we needed for SNAMP before leaving. Which is great news for SNAMP.