Ongoing research

It's being hailed by environmental groups as "a victory for the bees." A U.S. federal judge has ruled that the insecticide, spirotetramat, must be pulled from the shelves because it could be dangerously toxic to America's declining honey bee population. Starting Jan.

Soon beekeepers from around the country will be trucking their bees to California for the annual almond pollination. California has some 700,000 acres of almonds, with each acre requiring two hives for pollination. But an article in the Dec.

The attempt to down an airline over Detroit, Mich., on Christmas Day with a chemical explosive strapped inside a passenger's underwear may spur new interest in honey bees as bomb-sniffing detectives. It brings to mind scientist Robert Wingo's recent talk at UC Davis.

Definitely a good dose of Christmas Cheer! In the plant world, that would be the Kniphofia Christmas Cheer," also known as "red-hot poker." On a visit last week to the Storer Garden, UC Davis Arboretum, we encountered a lone honey bee foraging among the Christmas Cheer.

'Twas the night before Christmas When all through the house Not a creature was stirring Not even a mouse... --'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) No, but maybe a boxelder bug (Boisea trivittatus).

When the U.S. Postal Service Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee meets in January 2010, let's hope the group supports the proposal for a Lorenzo Langstroth commemorative stamp. The Rev.

Every year the Entomological Society of America (ESA) invites its members and other interested persons to enter the Insect Salon juried photo competition. It's a highly competitive event, drawing photographs from around the world. The non-profit Peoria (Ill.) Camera Club coordinates it.

If you look closely at the colorful ceramic sign at the Harry H.Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, University of California, Davis, you'll see an entrance to a bee hive. Entrance? Right. There's a hole in the skep, which tunnels to a hive in back of the sign.

It's a career high. Three University of California professors were among the 10 inducted as Fellows at the Entomological Society of America's annual meeting held Dec. 13-16 in Indianapolis.

It's quite an honor to be elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). And it's a double honor when two persons from the same department at the same university receive the honor the very same year. That's what happened today.