There's a magnificent purple aster blooming in the bee yard at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, University of California, Davis. The aster, a late-bloomer, makes for a picture-perfect apiary scene...white bee boxes in the background...purple aster in the foreground...
Frank Lessiter, editor of No-till Farmer, announced that the magazine is seeking nominations for the third class of no-tillers to be named "Responsible Nutrient Management Practitioners." Winners will be honored at the 19th annual National No-Tillage Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Do bees stop and smell the roses? Maybe. Honey bees gather nectar and pollen from a variety of flowers, including their favorites, the salvias, mints and lavenders. They also forage on wild roses, but usually not on commercially grown roses.
When the Northern California Entomology Society meets Thursday, Nov. 4, the menu will include walnut twig beetles, mites, drywood termites and Oriental fruit moth parasitoids. And also barbecued marinated ball tip and chicken quarters with barbecued beans and salad.
Good news. Integrated pest management specialist Frank Zalom (right), professor of entomology at UC Davis, is the 2010 recipient of the "Award for Excellence in Integrated Pest Management from the Entomological Society of America (ESA), a 6000-member worldwide organization.
The eyespots--they're almost hypnotic. And that's what makes the buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia) so easily recognizable--the bold pattern of eyespots on the wings, bold enough to startle and scare away prey. This buckeye (below) fluttered along the grounds of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.
The purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a favorite among the autumn plants blooming in the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, the half-acre bee friendly garden planted last fall next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis.
It was not a good day to "stop and smell the roses." A vespid wasp apparently lingered too long on a rose--perhaps dropping by for a sip of nectar or seeking unsuspecting prey. What it found was another predator, a praying mantis looking for breakfast.
Some folks have the best of both worlds. Noted bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey not only has the best of both worlds, but the best of both springs. Cobey, affiliated with the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.
