Test PB Collection: FTE

Confessions of a Backyard Beekeeper. That's the title of a piece by former-Davis-mayor-turned-beekeeper Ann M. Evans in the newly published Ipinion Syndicate book, Cats, Dogs and Other Things that Poop in the Yard. "Here's what I know about honeybees," she began.

Presented by UC Cooperative Extension & USDA-ARS, US Salinity Lab When: December 15, 2016 Where: USDA-ARS U.S. Salinity Laboratory - Loctated on UCR Campus 450 W. Big Springs Road, Riverside, CA 92507 https://campusmap.ucr.

Score another win for those wooly bear caterpillars. For the past three decades, wooly bear caterpillars have accurately predicted a Republican or Democrat win in the U.S. Presidential elections.

UC Cooperative Extension will host the SJC and Delta Field Crops Meeting on Friday, January 6, 2017 from 8:00am to 12:00pm. The meeting location is the Cabral Agricultural Center in Stockton (2101 E.Earhart Ave., Stockton, CA 95206).

What if you could reduce cover and biomass of invasive aquatic weeds, such as waterhyacinth, all while sitting back with a glass of lemonade and watching nature do its job? No herbicides, no mechanical control, and no clogged up marinas or waterways.

If you're looking for a holiday gift for family and friends--or maybe yourself--think bees and blooms. Specifically, California bees and blooms. Even more specifically, undomesticated bees (that is, not honey bees).

Got milkweed? Then you probably have milkweed bugs. All summer and into fall, we spotted the familiar reddish, black and white bugs scurrying around on our showy milkweed, Asclepias speciosa, and tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica. Showy bugs on showy milkweed.

redcThe hills have been dry for a long time, and the long dry fall is bringing animals into the avocado groves that normally stay out in the hills. They want the green cambium of trees and the moisture it provides. And especially rodents will have a field day in the well-maintained orchards.

On a recent trip, we saw Diaprepes Root Weevil damage on avocado. It was feeding on the leaves, tattering them. The problem with this pest is that it also feeds on the roots, weakening the tree and opening it up to disease, such as Phytophthora.

How can we help honey bees through research? That's the topic that Francis Ratnieks, professor of apiculture, University of Sussex, United Kingdom, will cover when he presents a seminar on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at the University of California, Davis.