Agriculture

How are the bees doing? When the American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) meets Jan. 9-13 at the Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, Nev. for its 75th annual American Beekeeping Federation Conference & Tradeshow, the key concern is bee health. Sadly, colony losses continue to take their toll.

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology has announced the list of seminars it will host for the winter quarter. The seminars begin Jan. 10 and will continue through March 14. All will take place on Wednesdays from 4:10 to 5 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall, Kleiber Hall Drive.

Most people avoid a hornet's nest. Not environmental artist Ann Savageau; the retired UC Davis Department of Design professor creates art from hornet nest paper. "I began using hornet nest paper back in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Insects as art! The shapes, the colors...Bees, beetles, butterflies... Capture images of the bees, create sculptures from beetle galleries, and depict insect motifs on clothing... Don't miss the unique exhibition, It's Bugged: Insects' Role in Design, set Jan.

A major citrus pest may experience a Bah, Humbug! kind of year.

Moths, a magnificent microscope (scanning electron microscope) and friendly scientists--what could be better than that? How about free hot chocolate, herbal tea and cookies? The Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Saturday night, July 22, promises to be a fun and educational event.

The Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, will celebrate National Moth Week on Saturday night, July 22 with an indoor-and-outdoor open house featuring blacklighting; moth displays including the Trump moth, and free refreshments of hot chocolate and cookies.

The University of California, Davis, prides itself on teaching, research and public service. A few faculty members excel at all three (they're called triple threats) and distinguished professor James R. Carey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is one of them.

They are two who make a difference. Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology, received the 2015 Distinguished Emeritus Award and Hugh Dingle, emeritus professor of entomology, received an Edward A.

"Where do bees get red pollen?" we were asked. "We've seen bees packing blood-red pollen at the entrance to a hive." Well, one flower that yields red pollen is rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora). It's a drought-tolerant perennial, a succulent.