Posts Tagged: bees

Zeroing in on Honey Bees

The next seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology promises to be of great interest to bee scientists, beekeepers, and all those who want to learn more about honey bees. An international leader in honey bee...

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No Labor Day Holiday for the Honey Bees

Holiday? What holiday? It's Labor Day, but honey bees aren't relaxing. They're out in force collecting nectar, pollen, water and propolis. Ever seen them weighted down with huge pollen loads? They seem to have "Herculean strength," don't you...

A honey bee packing a huge load of orange pollen from zinnias as it heads for another blossom in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee packing a huge load of orange pollen from zinnias as it heads for another blossom in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee, its wings a'buzzing, slips through the petals of a zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee, its wings a'buzzing, slips through the petals of a zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

All finished here. Next zinnia here I come! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

All finished here. Next zinnia here I come! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble Bees: Feeling Impact of Climate Change

We remember the reaction of Robbin Thorp (1933-2019), UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor of entomology and an international authority on bumble bees,  when he spotted a lone Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis, on Aug. 15,...

UC Davis research shows that rising temperatures are particularly alarming to some bumble bee species, including the Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis. This one was located on Aug. 15, 2012 in the Mt. Shasta area. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis research shows that rising temperatures are particularly alarming to some bumble bee species, including the Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis. This one was located on Aug. 15, 2012 in the Mt. Shasta area. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis researchers found that one of "the winners" in their climate change study is the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, shown here heading for a California golden poppy. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis researchers found that one of "the winners" in their climate change study is the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, shown here heading for a California golden poppy. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male bumble bee, Bombus bifarius, nectaring on coastal goldfield, Lasthenia minor, at Bodega Bay. A UC Davis study shows that the rising temperatures are particularly alarming to a number of species, including this one. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male bumble bee, Bombus bifarius, nectaring on coastal goldfield, Lasthenia minor, at Bodega Bay. A UC Davis study shows that the rising temperatures are particularly alarming to a number of species, including this one. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Svastra: the Sunflower Bee

It's nicknamed "the sunflower bee" for good reason. It forages on sunflowers. We recently spotted a longhorned bee,  Svastra obliqua, also called "the sunflower bee," on Gaillardia, aka blanket flower, a member of the sunflower...

Svastra obliqua, "the sunflower bee," foraging on a blanketflower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Svastra obliqua, "the sunflower bee," foraging on a blanketflower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Lawn-pocalypse! Surviving Drought

Ah, summer! The season of sunburns, pool parties, and… lawn droughts. If your once lush, green carpet now looks like a crunchy brown doormat, you're not alone. Let's dive into why your yard is staging a dramatic death scene and what you can do to...

Bermuda grass and weeds overtaking drought stressed turf grass.

A patch of former lawn, mostly dead, with a few green weeds and Bermudagrass

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