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

Posts Tagged: Bees

Flowering Quince: A Sure Sign of Spring

Spring won't arrive until March 19, but don't tell that to the honey bees foraging on the flowering quince. Flowering quince, an early spring bloomer, is blooming here now. Butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus of...

A honey bee foraging on flowering quince, a member of the rose family. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee foraging on flowering quince, a member of the rose family. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee foraging on flowering quince, a member of the rose family. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A flowering quince bud makes a great pocket for a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A flowering quince bud makes a great pocket for a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A flowering quince bud makes a great pocket for a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bottoms up! A honey bee determined to bring back food for her colony on this flowering quince. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bottoms up! A honey bee determined to bring back food for her colony on this flowering quince. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bottoms up! A honey bee determined to bring back food for her colony on this flowering quince. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Tags: flowering quince (0), honey bees (0), spring (0)
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

2024: Revisiting 'The 13 Bugs of Christmas'

Back in 2010, UC Cooperative Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen (1944-2022) of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and yours truly, department communications specialist, wondered why no insects appear in "The Twelve Days...

UC Cooperative Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen (1944-2022) of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility apiary. Image taken in 2010. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Cooperative Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen (1944-2022) of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility apiary. Image taken in 2010. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Cooperative Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen (1944-2022) of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility apiary. Image taken in 2010. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, December 24, 2024 at 12:04 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management

Good to See Ettamarie Peterson 'Bee' Honored

It was good to see Sonoma County's "Queen Bee," Ettamarie Peterson of Petaluma, bee honored on the cover of the December edition of Bee Culture magazine.  She often submits articles for the magazine. I decided it was time her to...

Ettamarie Peterson, known as the
Ettamarie Peterson, known as the "Queen Bee of Sonoma County," gets ready to greet visitors at the Vacaville Museum Guild's Children's Party, an annual event held every August in the museum courtyard. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ettamarie Peterson, known as the "Queen Bee of Sonoma County," gets ready to greet visitors at the Vacaville Museum Guild's Children's Party, an annual event held every August in the museum courtyard. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Friday, December 13, 2024 at 5:01 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

Bumble Bee's Red Pollen: 'Tis the Season

Ever noticed that when yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, forage in lupine that their pollen is red? Last July when we were camping at Bodega Bay, we delighted in watching the bumble bees foraging in the lupine. Bumble bees store their...

A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, packing red pollen from a lupine last July at Bodega Bay. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, packing red pollen from a lupine last July at Bodega Bay. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, packing red pollen from a lupine last July at Bodega Bay. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, December 12, 2024 at 6:02 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

U.S. Honey Bee Losses Highest Since 2010-11

The American Bee Journal (ABJ) and Bee Culture just released the preliminary results of the annual U.S. Beekeeping Survey and the news is not good. "U.S. beekeepers lost an estimated 55.1 percent of their...

A honey bee today (Dec. 5) forms the centerpiece of a mallow, Anisodontea sp.
A honey bee today (Dec. 5) forms the centerpiece of a mallow, Anisodontea sp. "Strybing Beauty." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee today (Dec. 5) forms the centerpiece of a mallow, Anisodontea sp. "Strybing Beauty." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of a honey bee foraging ona winter blossom, Anisodontea sp.
Side view of a honey bee foraging ona winter blossom, Anisodontea sp. "Strybing Beauty." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of a honey bee foraging ona winter blossom, Anisodontea sp. "Strybing Beauty." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee buzzes off to find another blossom in the dead of winter. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The honey bee buzzes off to find another blossom in the dead of winter. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee buzzes off to find another blossom in the dead of winter. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 4:40 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Pest Management

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