Ongoing research

I recently traveled to the Malaga area of Spain where there is quite a bit of new planting going on. The industry celebrated its industry in 2002 with the World Avocado Congress and we saw a considerable expansion of the industry then and more has occurred since then.

The Daily Mail, UK, recently reported a tragic case of a fatal bee sting that occurred in a back yard in Hampton, near Solihull, West Midlands, England. A honey bee apparently stung a 47-year-old father on his foot and he went into anaphylactic shock.

If you're yearning to be a backyard beekeeper, "go native." "Go native" with native bees, that is. Many folks are building or buying bee condos to provide nesting sites for blue orchard bees (Osmia lignaria) and leafcutting bees (Megachile spp.).

The latest (2012) Department of Agriculture reports on county agricultural production can be found at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/California/Publications/AgComm/201212cactb00.

Why would anyone want to study walking sticks (stick insects)? Well, why wouldn't anyone NOT want to? That's the question we ought to ask. Enter doctoral candidate Matan Shelomi of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

From the ANR Report :: February 2014 :: Vol. 27 No. 8 (http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/newsletters/ANR_Report50615.pdf) Brad Hanson, UCCE specialist in the Department of Plant Science at UC Davis, has received national and statewide recognition by his peers.

While other parts of the country are buried in snow, California's Central Valley is just finishing up its almond pollination season.

Just a reminder: Walnut No Pruning/Pruning Comparison Field Meeting Tuesday, March 4th 10am - 11:30 am Location: Nickels Soil Lab, On Greenbay Rd, Arbuckle Park on Greenbay Road and walk in. Thank you.

I spent a while at the local food cooperative this weekend looking for weeds. Not outside in the landscaping, but inside with the food and spices. If I seem skeptical about some of these, it's not because I'm trying to give the co-op, or the herbals industry, a hard time.

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