Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

"Stop and smell the roses." How many times have you heard that? It's usually from someone urging us to slow down, to savor life, and to pay attention to the pleasures. Like fragrant roses.

South Sacramento Valley Winter Almond Meeting SpraySafe Meeting...

What are you doing the day BEFORE the Super Bowl? Thinking about that battle in New Orleans? Getting ready to settle in for the Harbowl? Wondering who's going to win the Vince Lombardi trophy? How about heading over to the University of California, Davis, campus for "Super Science Saturday"?

It's not often that "beer, butterfly and Obama" land in the same sentence. But such was the case Monday, Jan. 21 for butterfly expert Art Shapiro, professor of evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis.

When it comes to honey bee health, beekeepers know that the Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) ranks as "Beekeeping Enemy No. 1." These are terrible blood-sucking parasites that attack bees and raise havoc in the hive. They transmit a variety of diseases and can destroy a hive.

One of the biggest challenges to growing a vegetable garden in a non-raisedbed situation can be the weeds. The can make the garden unsightly, compete with the vegetable plants you really want and make you feel overwhelmed in trying to manage them.

The bush germander (Teucrium fruticans) is definitely a great fall-winter plant that's a magnet for bees. Just look at the bees that frequent the germander in the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road at UC Davis.

A quick note to day to remind people about the upcoming Western Society of Weed Science meeting that will be held March 11-14 at the Catamaran Resort in San Diego. This is a great place to get caught up on weed science issues in the western US and Canada.

The International Weed Science Society meets every four years to discuss weed science issues on a global level. This past June (2012) the IWSS met in Hangzhou, China and, for the next four years, will be led by the new president Dr. Albert Fischer from UC Davis.

They'll be zeroing in on pests at the next meeting of the Northern California Entomology Society. Scientists from the Essig Museum of Entomology, UC Berkeley, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), Sacramento, will speak at the meeting on Wednesday, Feb.