Rangelands

Just call it "Fire and Fury in a Pollinator Garden." That would be the firecracker red flameskimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata. They fly into our pollinator garden in Vacaville, Calif., attracted by the lily-padded pond and the all-you-can-eat buffet of flying insects.

Meet the pollinators, And meet the UC Davis researchers, UC Master Gardeners, students and community members who study them or promote them. That's what's planned on Sunday, May 20 at an event sponsored by the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden and the UC Master Gardeners from 1 to 4 p.m.

If you attended the second annual California Honey Festival, held recently in downtown Woodland, you probably heard the buzz. Or at least you saw the crowd circling Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Nio of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

You've heard such insect-inspired music as Flight of the Bumble Bee, La Cucaracha, Boll Weevil and the The Blue-Tailed Fly, right? But have you ever heard of a song featuring the three-cornered alfalfa hopper, Spissistilus festinus, and another one spotlighting the male insect organ, the aedeagus?

San Luis Obispo County has seen more than 20 detections of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) since January 2018, according to Citrus Insider. The majority of these invasive insects have been found in the backyards of residential properties in the city of Nipomo.

If fair time is fun time--and it is--just add insects to make it even more fun.

City Visions: Tech and the future of smart, sustainable farming (KALW), May 7, 2018 Host Ethan Elkind and guests explore the impact of new technologies on our agricultural industry.

How do plants defend themselves from herbivores and turn on their defenses?

Congratulations to community ecologist Louie Yang of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, the newly announced recipient of an international award for his outstanding academic advising activities.

Stone fruit trees like apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, plum, and prune are a staple of many backyard gardens and landscapes. Unfortunately, there are a variety of pests that can weaken trees and spoil fruit.