Backyard Orchard News
Ah, Spring!
It's a glorious day, the first day of spring, and what better time to mark the occasion by visiting...
A honey bee foraging on ceanothus in the UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A painted lady, Vanessa carduii, finds a cut-leaf lilac, Syringa × laciniata, quite attractive. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Check out the pollen on this honey bee foraging on ceanothus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A mournful dusky-wing butterfly (Erynnis tristis) on Spanish lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Mother Earth, a mosaic ceramic sculpture by Donna Billick of Davis, overlooks the UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A torrent of emotions on the face of Mother Earth, the work of artist Donna Billick. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Buzz on California Agriculture Day
The bees weren't all that buzzed at the 2014 California Agriculture Day, celebrated today (March...
Barbara Allen-Diaz, vice president of UC ANR, "talks bees" with Bill Lewis, president of the California State Beekeepers' Association. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Say "Honey!" From left are Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of UC Davis; Barbara Allen-Diaz, vice president of UC ANR; Bill Lewis, president of the California State Beekeepers' Association; and Marti Ikehara of the Sacramento Area Beekeepers' Association. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
California grown! From left are CSBA treasurer Carlen Jupe, Sacramento, CSBA member Bill Cervenka of Bill Cervenka Apiaries, Half Moon Bay; CSBA president Bill Lewis of Lake View Terrace; California Secretary of Agriculture Karen Ross; Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of UC Davis; and SABA member Marti Ikehara of Sacramento. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
New Fruit Cleaning Equipment at Lindcove REC
It is important to do everything we can to avoid spreading Asian citrus psyllid around...
Leaf litter from 20 bins of lemons
Clearing stems and leaves from lemons
California Red Scale Degree Days are Off to a Fast Start!
We usually hang traps for California red scale (CRS) the first of March at Lindcove REC and see the first flight start up a couple of weeks later. Not this year! The temperatures have been high and everything, including bloom is early. The CRS biofix for Kern was in late February and for Tulare foothills the first week of March. Unless we have an extreme downturn in temperatures, the first generation of crawlers will likely be early *in late April for Tulare). You can follow the general county accumulations of degree days weekly on our web site to get an idea of how fast things are progressing - California red scale degree days.
Bloom is early and degree days are accumulating fast for pests such as California red scale
Why Honey Bees Forage in California Poppies
When you see honey bees foraging on the California poppy, the state flower, they're not there for...
Two honey bees foraging on a California poppy. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee with a pollen load. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)