Ongoing research

A journey to the Benicia (Calif.) Capitol State Historic Park, Solano County, on Christmas Day yielded the unexpected: a black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, foraging in jade blossoms.

It's what I've always wanted to see on Christmas Day. On Dec. 25, we rarely see any insects--probably because we aren't looking for them.

Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as "red pollen." Like people, pollen comes in many colors and all are beautiful. All. The floral source determines the color of the pollen. Just as nectar is a carbohydrate source, pollen is a protein source. Honey bees need both to rear the brood.

Up on the rooftop Reindeer pause, Out jumps good ol' Santa Claus... With all the rooftop beekeeping underway throughout the world, Santa may have some serious issues to consider tonight.

It's time to revisit "The 13 Bugs of Christmas." You've heard "The 12 Days of Christmas," beginning with a single "partridge in a pear tree" and ending with "12 drummers drumming.

Presentation Day changes, CSU Chico Educational Days, and more...

Ho Ho Holy Cow its going to be cold (in other parts of the country) this holiday break. Winter and the New Year are great times to think about preventing weed management problems.

Her name was Olive. Every Friday morning she'd come bounding over to greet me, her tail wagging happily, one ear up, one ear down. I called her "My Second Favorite Dog" and nicknamed her "The Bee Garden Mascot.

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." That's the line that came to me Saturday when I released a week-old Gulf Fritillary butterfly I'd reared in our home. Kris Kristofferson penned that line in his hit song, "Me and Bobby McGee," popularized by Janis Joplin.

Great news! The UC Berkeley Graduate ?Certificate ?in? Geographic ?Information ?Science ?and? Technology? (GIST)? has been approved. This certificate will provide? an ?academic? structure ?for ?an ?interdisciplinary ?exchange ?of? ideas ?around? geospatial? information ?and ?analysis.