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Bug Blog

Walter Leal: The Energizer Bunny at Full-Industrial Strength

When Walter Leal submitted his application in 2000 to join the faculty at the University of California, Davis,  one of his references wrote "He is like an Energizer Bunny that never runs down." "His references all described him as a full-time...

UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal delivering a substitute lecture when entomologist May Berenbaum was unable to attend to present the Wigglesworth Memorial Award Lecture.
UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal delivering a substitute lecture when entomologist May Berenbaum was unable to attend to present the Wigglesworth Memorial Award Lecture.

UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal delivering a substitute lecture when entomologist May Berenbaum was unable to attend to present the Wigglesworth Memorial Award Lecture.

UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal with former members of the UC Davis Leal lab at ICE2024. From left are Wei Xu, Yuko Ishida, Zain Syed, Walter Leal, Fen Zhu, and J-J Zhou.
UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal with former members of the UC Davis Leal lab at ICE2024. From left are Wei Xu, Yuko Ishida, Zain Syed, Walter Leal, Fen Zhu, and J-J Zhou.

UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal with former members of the UC Davis Leal lab at ICE2024. From left are Wei Xu, Yuko Ishida, Zain Syed, Walter Leal, Fen Zhu, and J-J Zhou.

Posted on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 4:38 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management

Don't Miss This UC Davis Seminar by Ecology Researcher Andrew Corbett

Don't miss this UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) seminar by ecologist Andrew Corbett, a research associate with ENT who is also highly skilled in simulation modeling and instructional design. Corbett will speak on...

Ecologist Andrew Corbett, who holds a doctorate in ecology (joint program with UC Davis and San Diego State University) will present a seminar at 4:10 p.m., Oct. 21 in 122 Briggs Hall, UC Davis. It also will be on Zoom.
Ecologist Andrew Corbett, who holds a doctorate in ecology (joint program with UC Davis and San Diego State University) will present a seminar at 4:10 p.m., Oct. 21 in 122 Briggs Hall, UC Davis. It also will be on Zoom.

Ecologist Andrew Corbett, who holds a doctorate in ecology (joint program with UC Davis and San Diego State University) will present a seminar at 4:10 p.m., Oct. 21 in 122 Briggs Hall, UC Davis. It also will be on Zoom.

Posted on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at 4:46 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management

Zinnia Nectar: Flight Fuel for the Migratory Monarchs

Zinnias are a great nectar source for migratory monarch butterflies as they wing their way to their overwintering spots along coastal California. How much do monarchs love zinnias? So much that sometimes a monarch will touch down on a zinnia...

A migratory monarch butterfly nectaring on a pink zinnia in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A migratory monarch butterfly nectaring on a pink zinnia in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A migratory monarch butterfly nectaring on a pink zinnia in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A migratory monarch sipping her fill of nectar from a zinnia in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A migratory monarch sipping her fill of nectar from a zinnia in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A migratory monarch sipping her fill of nectar from a zinnia in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 5:27 PM
Tags: flight fuel (1), migration (9), monarchs (78), nectar (10), zinnias (4)
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

Yes, Hawks Eat Insects

Ever watched a red-shouldered hawk on a hunt? They eat a variety of prey, including small mammals, birds, snakes, lizards, fish, crayfish, insects and worms, according to the California Raptor Center (CRC), a research center that's part of the UC...

Red-shouldered hawk devouring what appears to be a praying mantis. It caught the insect in the Vacaville Museum and then perched on a telephone line to eat it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Red-shouldered hawk devouring what appears to be a praying mantis. It caught the insect in the Vacaville Museum and then perched on a telephone line to eat it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Red-shouldered hawk devouring what appears to be a praying mantis. It caught the insect in the Vacaville Museum and then perched on a telephone line to eat it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Diane Ullman of the Department of Entomology and Nematology and Gale Okumura, Department of Design faculty emerita, in front of
UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Diane Ullman of the Department of Entomology and Nematology and Gale Okumura, Department of Design faculty emerita, in front of "A Bird's Eye View." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Diane Ullman of the Department of Entomology and Nematology and Gale Okumura, Department of Design faculty emerita, in front of "A Bird's Eye View." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, October 14, 2024 at 7:03 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Yard & Garden

It's Friday Fly Day!

It's Friday Fly Day, and time to post an image of a fly that masquerades as a bee. That would be "the bee fly," a fly so named because it resembles a beeOrder: Diptera. Family: Bombyliidae. In its adult stage, it's a pollinator that feeds on...

A bee fly, family Bombyliidae, foraging on sedum in a UC Davis garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A bee fly, family Bombyliidae, foraging on sedum in a UC Davis garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A bee fly, family Bombyliidae, foraging on sedum in a UC Davis garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Friday, October 11, 2024 at 5:25 PM
Tags: bee fly (4), Bombyliidae (4), Friday Fly Day (7), sedum (8)
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

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