Ongoing research

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.

Petals, sepals, and developing fruit damaged and darkened from freezing temperatures (Photos by Surendra Dara) Fruit deformation as a result of low temperatures which affect pollination. Smaller achenes are formed and uneven development of the tissue around them results in misshapen fruit.

"Landscape Conservation for Rare Insects!" That's the title of a seminar to be hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology on Wednesday, Jan. 23. Nick Haddad, the William Neal Reynolds Professor of Biology at North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, N.C., will speak from 12:10 to 1 p.m.

Franck Dayan will be stopping by UC Davis on Tuesday, 1/22/2013 to give a presentation entitled King Georges, Vampires and Herbicides. Below is the announcement.