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

Bug Blog

Of Human-Modified Environments and Cabbage White Butterflies

You won't want to miss this UC Davis Entomology and Nematology seminar by postdoctoral scholar Angie Lenard of the University of Nevada, Reno. She'll speak on "Insects in Human-Modified Environments" at the next UC Davis Department of...

Two cabbage white butterflies, Pieris rapae, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Two cabbage white butterflies, Pieris rapae, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Two cabbage white butterflies, Pieris rapae, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources

Renewing Memories of the UC Davis Bee Haven

It's like “Old Home Week” or “Old Home Day” when Michelle Monheit visits the UC Davis Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road. “I visit the garden whenever I'm in the area,” she said, as she headed over to the six-foot-long...

Michelle Monheit of Woodland stands by
Michelle Monheit of Woodland stands by "Miss Bee Haven," sculpted by Donna Billick. Michelle has visited the garden since childhood when her mother was working on bee research. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Michelle Monheit of Woodland stands by "Miss Bee Haven," sculpted by Donna Billick. Michelle has visited the garden since childhood when her mother was working on bee research. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen and researcher Susan Monheit work in the beginning stages of the UC Davis Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen and researcher Susan Monheit work in the beginning stages of the UC Davis Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen and researcher Susan Monheit work in the beginning stages of the UC Davis Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, January 6, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

Hear That Buzz? Long-Awaited UC Davis Bee Genetics Book Updated

Hear that buzz? The long-awaited update of the landmark UC Davis-authored book, Queen Bee Rearing and Bee Breeding by Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. (1907-2003), “the father of bee genetics,”  and his former doctoral research...

UC Davis professor Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. with then graduate student Robert E. Page Jr., circa 1980.
UC Davis professor Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. with then graduate student Robert E. Page Jr., circa 1980.

UC Davis professor Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. with then graduate student Robert E. Page Jr., circa 1980.

A sign in front of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Faciility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A sign in front of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Faciility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sign in front of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Faciility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Friday, January 3, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources

A Golden Paper Wasp

We're so accustomed to seeing the non-native European paper wasp, Polistes dominula, that it's quite a surprise to encounter a native, the golden paper wasp, P. aurifer, and especially in the winter. It was--and is--sheltering at the UC...

A golden paper wasp, Polistes aurier, at the UC Davis Bee Haven on Saturday. It is a native species. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A golden paper wasp, Polistes aurier, at the UC Davis Bee Haven on Saturday. It is a native species. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A golden paper wasp, Polistes aurier, at the UC Davis Bee Haven on Saturday. It is a native species. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

As its name implies, the European paper wasp, is a non-native species. This image was taken in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
As its name implies, the European paper wasp, is a non-native species. This image was taken in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

As its name implies, the European paper wasp, is a non-native species. This image was taken in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

The Missing Mistletoe and the Non-Purple Great Purple Hairstreak Butterfly

You may not recognize mistletoe unless it sports a red bow and is hanging over a doorway during the holiday season. You may not recognize The Great Purple Hairstreak, Atlides halesus. Its host plant is mistletoe. (Color-cognizant folks who are...

Mistletoe infests this Modesto ash in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Mistletoe infests this Modesto ash in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Mistletoe infests this Modesto ash in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the Great Purple Hairstreak, Atlides halesus. It is misnamed; it is not purple, but iridescent blue. Its host plant is mistletoe. (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)
This is the Great Purple Hairstreak, Atlides halesus. It is misnamed; it is not purple, but iridescent blue. Its host plant is mistletoe. (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)

This is the Great Purple Hairstreak, Atlides halesus. It is misnamed; it is not purple, but iridescent blue. Its host plant is mistletoe. (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)

Posted on Wednesday, January 1, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

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