Test PB Collection: FTE

Beekeepers describe their honey bees as "my girls" or "my beautiful girls." It's a term of endearment. Now take the green metallic sweat bee, Agapostemon texanus. If honey bees are beautiful (and they are) then these bees are spectacular.

Speakers from around the world will share their expertise with California farmers during a series of four conferences Aug. 28 to 30. The conference schedule is as follows: Aug. 28, 1-4 p.m. UC Davis Heidrick Ag Equipment Center 113 / Hutchinson, UC Davis (530) 752-1898 Aug. 29, 8-11 a.m.

How blue can it be? We spotted a metallic blue bug, one of nature's most amazing colors, last Sunday. It was in the Mostly Natives Nursery in Tomales, a Marin County site frequented by many University of California entomologists and staff as they work on their urban bee research and publications.

I recently ran across a report published by Crop Life International (a federation of plant science industry companies) on the cost of getting a "biotech" crop variety to market.

The first segment of the Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI) six-part video documentary debuts today on the CASI website. (The video is also posted below.

While scouting for blast, a PCA noticed some yellow leaf tips. Close inspection revealed aphids. He got a little worried since he's never seen aphids on rice during his long career. They turned out to be yellow sugarcane aphid.

Sometimes you'll see him sitting cross-legged on the floor, circled by first graders. They're asking questions like "What is an insect?" and "How long do insects live?" and "What do they eat?" Sometimes you'll see him holding Madagascar hissing cockroaches and explaining why they hiss.

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Invasive Ambrosia Beetle/Fusarium Complex A Public Meeting You are invited to attend a public meeting about the invasive ambrosia beetle/Fusarium complex that are threatening avocado, oak, sycamore, persimmon, and box elder trees in California.

It's good to see county and state fairs focusing on bugs 'n bees. These displays inform, educate and entertain. The California State Fair, Sacramento, traditionally features an Insect Pavilion, which includes exotic and invasive species.