Ongoing research

The conversation usually starts like this: "I saw this huge, huge bumble bee with yellow on its back. It was buzzing like crazy." Often it's not a bumble bee, but the Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, that's been foraging on the blooms of the passionflower vine (Passiflora).

Summer is right around the corner. The mild weather we've recently experienced following a rich rainy season is the perfect combination for the luscious growth we see in lawns and landscapes.

It's surprising what the microbes in nectar can reveal. Take the nectar of the sticky monkeyflower, Mimulus auranticus.

The number of moths trapped has increased in all locations, except in the North Sutter one (which was already high to begin with). In most fields the rice is still in the three to five leaf stage.

In what has been dubbed dandelion-gate, members of the Washington State legislature spent 20 minutes complaining about weeds on the capital's lawn In all the years I've been here I've never seen so many dandelions all over, Sen. Mike Padden (R) said.

A very diverse and large group of farmers, consultants, public agency, and private sector folks participated in a highly successful training session on the benefits of soil management for farming systems at the site of CASI's long-term NRI Project field in Five Points on Tuesday, June 6th.

Two closely related Ambrosia beetles (Euwallacea sp.) have been identified in commercial avocado groves in California.

So, here we are, a couple of stink bugs hidden in the lavender. Unnoticed. Undetected. Undisturbed. We're loving the lavender, and we're in the process of providing the world with more stink bugs. "Okay, we know, we know. We're red-shouldered stink bugs (Thyanta pallidovirens).

Mosquito research by Maribel Portilla and Sharon Lawler recently included an experiment on how Egeria, or Brazilian water weed, affects mosquito populations. Egeria is a submersed aquatic weed that can cause problems in channels and irrigation waterways.

Lime-induced Iron Chlorosis: a nutritional challenge in the culture of several subtropical perennial crops in California Elizabeth Fichtner, UCCE Tulare County and Rachel Elkins, UCCE Lake and Mendocino Counties Spring, and new leaves are coming out, but this could, but yellow could be a sign of iro...