Rangelands

Sometimes you hear about bored teenagers trashing bee hives by deliberately throwing rocks at them or gleefully tipping them over. But a truck driver who deliberately plows through a bee yard on private property and crushes 40 colonies? That's unreal.

Hello there, little leafcutter bee! Yes, you, foraging on the sky-blue Chinese Forget-Me-Nots! You're just in time for National Pollinator Week! Leafcutter bees, family Megachilidae, are so named because the females cut leaves and petals (perfectly round holes!) to line their nests.

Historically, date palms are grown along riverbeds or in areas with groundwater because they require an abundance of water to produce a good crop. Unlike lettuce or table grapes, date palms are deceptive in that they do not immediately wilt if underwatered.

How many of us can trace our childhood interest in insects back to lady beetles, aka ladybugs? They're among the most recognizable of insects.

Three graduating seniors--two in Entomology and one in Animal Biology--were among those receiving top honors last week at the 2023 UC Davis commencement ceremonies.

Mortarboards are really "wizard hats." Just ask Griffin Alberts, 3, whose mother, Charlotte Herbert Alberts, received her doctorate in entomology June 15 at the UC Davis Graduate Studies Program commencement ceremony in the University Credit Union Center.

"Your day has finally arrived. And it's truly a great day. It's not just the musical strains of Pomp and Circumstance and all the cheers that make the day feel so good.

It's 3:47 p.m., on Sunday, June 4. I am watching a honey bee nectaring on a zinnia in our pollinator garden. She collects, lingers and then leaves. It was like (A) Apis mellifera to (Z) zinnia.

You might not expect to see Anthocharis sara sara in McCormack Hall during the 74th annual Solano County Fair, Vallejo, June 15-18. But you will. It's a photograph titled "Painted Wings" by Regan Van Tuyl, 13 of Dixon.

Forest landowners in Solano and Sacramento counties are encouraged to learn about their forests and connect with natural resource professionals in their areas during the next Forest Stewardship Workshop Series from University of California Cooperative Extension, July 18 to Sept. 12.