Ongoing research

The painted ladies are back. No, not the Victorian and Edwardian homes painted in three colors. No, not women wearing excessive amounts of makeup and pounding the sidewalk with their stiletto heels. These are BUTTERFLIES.

Remember the landmark "insects-on-the-radiator" trial that led to a murder conviction? Animal Witness, part of Animal Planet, will soon be showcasing the work that UC Davis insect identification expert Lynn Kimsey did as an expert witness in the trial.

Today we salute Andrea Lucky. To be perfectly frank, anyone who takes a class from her is a lucky person indeed. For excellence in teaching in the lab, field and classroom, UC Davis entomology doctoral candidate Andrea Lucky has won a 2009 UC Davis Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award.

The Berkeley City Council did the right thing. The council members voted this week to landscape city parks and open spaces with pollinator-friendly plants. The plan: to provide a friendly habitat and food source for pollinators, especially honey bees.

Charles "Charlie" Summers is outstanding in his field. And come Monday, March 30, the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America will honor the University of California entomologist whose career spans 39 years in the pest management of field and vegetable crops.

Scientists have long been studying alternative pollinators, especially with the decline of the honey bee population and growing concerns about "How will we pollinate our crops?

An article in today's San Francisco Chronicle indicated that the Berkeley City Council is "poised to transform all the city's parks and open spaces into habitats for bees." That's the kind of news we need more of, more often.

To really know the honey bee industry, visit an apiary or bee yard. From a distance, you'll see a beekeeper working the hives. Look closer, and you'll see bees landing on visitors. Look even closer, and you'll see an individual bee going about her work.

2007 variety trials results for Colusa, Glenn and Yolo Counties.

When the half-acre Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven is implemented by the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis later this year, honey bees won't be the only ones enjoying the garden. Expect to see butterflies, bumblebees and other insects.