Backyard Orchard News
Multi-location Replicated Mandarin Trials
A block of promising mandarin varieties of commercial importance were planted at Lindcove this...
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It Was Not to Bee
The drama unfolds slowly. The crafty praying mantis that's perched atop a zinnia raises its...
Unsuspecting honey bee lands on a zinnia occupied by a praying mantis lying in wait. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee crawls toward the center of the zinnia, unaware of the predator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The honey bee sinks down into the zinnia and is about to forage, as the mantid lies perfectly still. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Danger! The praying mantis strikes. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A near miss! The honey bee escapes and buzzes off. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Girl and the Bubble
Ah, the little intricacies of life... We were walking along a stretch of the coastal town of...
Syrphid fly (female Sphaerophoria), as identified by senior insect biosystematist Martin Hauser of the CDFA. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Gavrey)
Close-up of "The Girl and the Bubble." See text above for what the bubble is. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Hole for One
During the day, European wool carder bees (so named because the females collect or "card" plant...
This bee condo, meant for blue orchard bees, is attracting a European wool carder bee, Anthidium manicatum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a sleeping European wool carder bee, Anthidium manicatum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
European wool carder bee, Anthidium manicatum, in flight, heading for lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
All About Honey Bees
To commemorate National Honey Bee Day, Jefferson Exchange host Geoffrey Riley of Jefferson...
Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen talks to a tour group at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Exension apiculturist Eric Mussen, a past president of the Western Apicultural Society (WAS), speaks at a recent WAS conference in Healdsburg, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)