Agriculture

Do you know the names of native bees commonly found in California's urban gardens? And how many have you seen in their habitat?

If you follow Gwentomologist on Instagram, you'll see fascinating images, videos and data on scores of insects, including bees, butterflies and beetles, and such curious critters as wasp-mimicking beetles (genus Clytus) and burying beetles or Nicrophorus beetles (genus Nicrophorus).

Driving through her vineyards on a chilly morning in December, Hortencia Alvarado is taking comfort for now that the weeds she sees are all yellow. But there remains a nagging worry that, like the pesky plants, is merely lying dormant for the season.

Like many of you, I expect, I've recently debated whether to keep my social media accounts - Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram sometimes seem like a bottomless pit of advertising and argument. But then something like this happens....

Scientists at UC Davis have identified new root traits that help grapevines resist drought. The findings, published in the journal Annals of Botany, could speed up the development of grape rootstocks that protect vines from dry conditions, helping the grape and wine industry adapt to climate change.

"A growing body of evidence suggests that forests may play an important role in bumble bee life history," says a team of scientists led by UC Davis alumnus and research ecologist John Mola in a newly published article, "The Importance of Forests in Bumble Bee Biology and Conservation," the cover sto...

The Yolo County walnut growers will provide as much as $100,000 per year for practical research The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) announced that Dan and Sarah Hrdy, owners of Citrona Farms LLC, a walnut farm in Winters, have established The Daniel &...

Scientists and honey bee enthusiasts have been debating the origin of the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) for centuries. We know that European colonists introduced honey bees (Apis mellifera) into the Jamestown colony (now Virginia) in 1622.

Remember when, following an Elvis Presley concert, an emcee would announce "Elvis has left the building"? That was to signal that Elvis would not be returning for an encore. Since then, "Elvis has left the building," has served as a catchphrase for not only music celebrities but for retirees.

Giving 1,200-pound cows access to one of California's most fragile and biologically rich ecosystems seems a strange way to protect its threatened and endangered species.