Ongoing research

Today's the Fourth of July and folks are splashing in their pools. So, what happens when a bee falls in? Sometimes they get lucky--if there's a human around to rescue them. And sometimes their luck extends to a floating leaf. This tiny female sweat bee, genus Halictus (probably H.

It was a reddish-orange beetle, moving a little but not a lot. We spotted it on a sunflower bordering the Avant Garden in Benicia.

We saw her touch down in our nectarine tree last weekend. Big green compound eyes glowed at us. She moved up and down a branch, foraging for food, and then took off. A wasp. The carnivore cousin of the vegetarian honey bee. They belong to the same order, Hymenoptera.

In this issue... State Field Day Wrap-Up, Cross-Clubbing, Volunteer Opportunity for Adults through 4-H at Hansen Ag Center, Using Facilities, Iron Chef and much more...

University of California, Riverside--Cooperative Extension Weed Science Specialist The Department of Botany and Plant Sciences invites applications for an Assistant Cooperative Extension Weed Specialist (11-month tenure-track, 90% CE, 10% OR).

When I last met up with a pipevine swallowtail, it wasn't faring well. In fact, I didn't recognize it as a pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor), no thanks to it being in the clutches of a hungry praying mantis.

Training for the Olympics? If you step into your garden in the early morning, you might see a male bumble bee sleeping on one of your plants. The females return to their nests at night, but the males don't. They stage slumber parties, aka sleepovers, on your plants.

The Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) recently published a press releasee on suggested best management practices for reducing the potential for biofuel crops to become invasive weeds. Jacob Barney from Virginia Tech (and a former UC Weed Science researcher) is highlighted in the press release.

An anise swallowtail fluttered in and out of the tall anise bordering the banks of the Benicia Marina. A beautiful sight.

When you visit the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, the half-acre bee friendly garden planted next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis, don't expect to see just pollinators. There are predators there, too.