Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

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UC DAVIS RESEARCHER Ian Pearse in front of the Peter J. Shields Oak Grove, on Garrod Drive, UC Davis Arboretum. Pearse received a fellowship from the National Science Foundation for his oak tree research. Long interested in plant biochemistry, he joined the UC Davis graduate program in entomology in 2006, after studying a year in Germany with the Max Planck Society for Chemical Ecology. He received his bachelor of science degree in plant biology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 2004.(P
Bug Squad: Article

Why Some and Not Others

January 13, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
When you visit the Peter J. Shields Oak Grove in the UC Davis Arboretum, you'll see one of the most diverse mature oak collections in the United States.
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BEE BREEDER-GENETICIST Kim Fondrk of UC Davis tends his bees in a Dixon, Calif. almond orchard. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

White Gold

January 12, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Almond pollination season is approaching, and with it, come concerns. "A concern each year...is how many honey bee visitation hours occurred during bloom," writes Extension Apiculturist Eric Mussen in his newly published edition of from the UC Apiaries.
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TROPICAL ARTHROPOD ECOLOGIST Steve Yanoviak, shown here in a rainforest canopy in Peru, will speak on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at a UC Davis Entomology seminar. Yanoviak is with the Department of Biology, University of Arkansas. (Photo courtesy of Steve Yanoviak)
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Prime Time for Learning

January 11, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The noonhour seminars sponsored every Wednesday through March 10 by the Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, are drawing widespread interest. And delightedly so. Many faculty, students and staff make it a point to attend the 12:10 to 1 p.m.
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HONEY BEE foraging in a patch of asters at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Singing The Blues

January 8, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Talk about singing the blues. Specifically, the noted "Blue King" (Aster amellus), a member of the sunflower family, Asteraceae. This is one flower that deserves its own chorus. At the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.
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UC DAVIS ENTOMOLOGIST James Carey believes that the light brown apple moth has long been established in California and cannot be eradicated. He is featured in the Jan. 8 edition of Science Magazine in a NewsFocus piece headlined "From Medfly to Moth: Raising a Buzz of Dissent." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Medfly and Moth Wars

January 7, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
James R. Carey is used to dissent. The entomology professor at the University of California, Davis, fervently believes that the Mediterranean fruit fly and light brown apple moth, two exotic and invasive pests, have long been established in California and cannot be eradicated.
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HONEY BEES foraging on sedum in a photo taken in September 2009. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Bee Healthy

January 6, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Bee health. So crucial. The January newsletter published by the eXtension.
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HONEY BEE at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis, samples honey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Not the Honey!

January 5, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
How ironic. We recently wrote about Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists training honey bees to detect explosives. It works this way: they harness bees and place them in little scientific containers. When the bees detect the scent of explosives, they stick out their tongues.
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MORMON CRICKET, courtesy of Nathan Bailey of UC Riverside.
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All About Crickets

January 4, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
When the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, launches its winter noonhour seminar series on Wednesday, Jan. 6, crickets will be first in line.
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SWAMP SUNFLOWER (Helianthus angustifolius) graces the entrance to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Bees Love This Late Bloomer

January 1, 2010
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The swamp sunflower that graces the entrance to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, University of California, Davis, does quadruple duty. It's stunningly beautiful. It's strong and sturdy. It's a late bloomer. And the honey bees love it.
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