Master Gardeners of Ventura County
University of California
Master Gardeners of Ventura County

Posts Tagged: squash

Time to 'Bee' Thankful

It's Thanksgiving Day, and as we sit down with family and friends to count our blessings, let's thank the bees. If your table includes pumpkin, cranberries, carrots, cucumbers, onions, apples, oranges, cherries, blueberries, grapefruit, persimmons,...

A squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, pollinating a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, pollinating a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, pollinating a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Five honey bees offering their pollination services on a pomegranate blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Five honey bees offering their pollination services on a pomegranate blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Five honey bees offering their pollination services on a pomegranate blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, November 24, 2022 at 8:53 AM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

Thank the Squash Bee for That Pumpkin Pie

"Hey, there, pumpkin, how big of a piece of pumpkin pie do you want?" If you've ever been asked that, you may have responded--quite politely--"Small, thank you!" You probably didn't thank the squash bees.  But as we celebrate Thanksgiving with...

The squash bee,  Peponapis pruinosa, is a specialist that pollinates only the cucurbits or squash family, Cucurbitaceae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, is a specialist that pollinates only the cucurbits or squash family, Cucurbitaceae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, is a specialist that pollinates only the cucurbits or squash family, Cucurbitaceae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a squash bee. Native to North America, it pollinates cucurbit blossoms early in the morning. The blossoms usually close around noon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a squash bee. Native to North America, it pollinates cucurbit blossoms early in the morning. The blossoms usually close around noon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a squash bee. Native to North America, it pollinates cucurbit blossoms early in the morning. The blossoms usually close around noon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, November 25, 2021 at 9:24 AM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources

Chemical Ecologist to Speak at UC Davis on 'The Smells of Dinner, Death, and Danger'

The title is intriguing: "The Smells of Dinner, Death, and Danger: How Organisms Navigate Multitrophic Interactions in a Chemical World." Chemical ecologist Anjel Helms of Texas A&M University will share information on that topic...

Nymphs of the squash bug, Anasa tristis, an insect that chemical ecologist Anjel Helms studies. (Photo courtesy of Anjel Helms)
Nymphs of the squash bug, Anasa tristis, an insect that chemical ecologist Anjel Helms studies. (Photo courtesy of Anjel Helms)

Nymphs of the squash bug, Anasa tristis, an insect that chemical ecologist Anjel Helms studies. (Photo courtesy of Anjel Helms)

A spotted cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum, an insect that chemical ecologist Anjel Helms studies. (Photo courtesy of Anjel Helms)
A spotted cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum, an insect that chemical ecologist Anjel Helms studies. (Photo courtesy of Anjel Helms)

A spotted cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum, an insect that chemical ecologist Anjel Helms studies. (Photo courtesy of Anjel Helms)

webstripedcucumberlarva
webstripedcucumberlarva

Thank the Squash Bee on Thanksgiving

If you're having pumpkin pie or butternut squash this Thanksgiving, thank the squash bee. Squash bees are specialists (not generalists) that pollinate only the cucurbits or squash family, Cucurbitaceae,  which includes pumpkins, squash,...

A squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, pollinating a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, pollinating a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, pollinating a squash blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a squash bee,Peponapis pruinosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a squash bee,Peponapis pruinosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a squash bee,Peponapis pruinosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 at 6:00 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Food, Yard & Garden

International Pollinator Conference Comes to UC Davis

It's all about the pollinators--whether they be bumble bees, longhorned bees, squash bees, sweat bees, honey bees or hummingbirds. Yes, hummingbirds are pollinators, too! A capacity crowd of 250 will attend the fourth  International Pollinator...

A longhorned bee flies over a Mexican sunflower blossom (Tithonia) in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A longhorned bee flies over a Mexican sunflower blossom (Tithonia) in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A longhorned bee flies over a Mexican sunflower blossom (Tithonia) in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A squash bee, a specialist bee that forages on the genus Cucurbita, buzzes out of squash blossom in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A squash bee, a specialist bee that forages on the genus Cucurbita, buzzes out of squash blossom in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A squash bee, a specialist bee that forages on the genus Cucurbita, buzzes out of squash blossom in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee (Apis mellifera) and a yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) share a flower on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee (Apis mellifera) and a yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) share a flower on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee (Apis mellifera) and a yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) share a flower on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 at 5:55 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management, Yard & Garden

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