Backyard Orchard News
Bumble Bees on the Move
Bumble bees stole the show during the Graduate Student Poster Research Competition at the fourth...
A bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, nectaring on lavender in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis doctoral student John Mola won the Graduate Student Research Poster Competition at the UC Davis Bee Symposium with his work on bumble bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis doctoral student Maureen Page stands by her research poster on honey bees that won second place at the UC Davis Bee Symposium. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis doctoral student John Mola explains his research to the judging panel. From left are Mea McNeil, timer; Santiago Ramirez of the UC Davis Evolution and Ecology faculty; Tom Seeley of Cornell, the keynote speaker at the symposium; and Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis doctoral student Maureen Page tells judges that honey bees may have negative impacts on native bees and native plant communities in certain contexts. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The panel of judges conferring. In the foreground is timer Mea McNeil. In back (from left) are judges Robbin Thorp and Santiago Ramirez of UC Davis, and Tom Seeley of Cornell. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Consider the Tsetse Fly: That's the Subject of a UC Davis Seminar on March 14
Consider the tsetse fly. The tsetse fly (Glossina genus), found in sub-Saharan Africa,...
This amazing photo of a tsetse fly (Glossina genus) is the work of UC Davis medical entomologist Geoffrey Attardo. His lab "uses a combination of biochemistry, molecular genetics and cell biology to study the interactions between African trypanosomes and tsetse flies." (Image by Geoffrey Attardo)
Frank Zalom: Champion of IPM!
When you hear those three little words, "Integrated Pest Management," you immediately think of two...
IPM specialist Frank Zalom, UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology and Extension entomologist, checks over a strawberry field.
Hmm, What's That Critter with the Long, Skinny Necks and Legs?
“They have weird, long, skinny hinged necks, long skinny legs, and the wing bases are covered...
Heads of Rhadinoscelidia malaysiae species. "One of the most unusual things about these wasps is the weird head deformities," says Lynn Kimsey. "I’ve never seen it in any other wasps or bees that I’ve studied."
Comparison of Rhadinoscelidia (top) and Chrysididae. (Photo courtesy of Lynn Kimsey)
UC Davis Arboretum Plant Sale on March 10; Why Not Think Gaillardia?
If you've been thinking about blanketing your garden with blanketflower (Gaillardia), you're in...
A pollen-covered honey bee forages on a Gallardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus californicus, forages on a Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Agraulis vanillae, flutters on a Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, spreads its wings on a Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A syrphid fly, also called a hover fly or flower fly, stakes out a Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Pollinators aren't the only insects that like Gaillardia. Here a praying mantis lies in wait. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)