Backyard Orchard News
Syrphid Fly in Rock Purslane: When a House Is a Home
When a house is a home... Take the case of a syrphid fly, aka hover fly or flower fly. It's a cold...
A syrphid fly, tucked in the folds of a rock purslane, Calandrinia grandiflora, sips nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The syrphid fly rotates its body to gather more nectar glean more sun. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The syprhid is just about ready to take flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Glimpse of George Compere, a Pioneer in Biological Control
"George Compere." Non-entomologists may not recall his name, but entomologists--especially those...
The Bohart Museum of Entomology is featuring a memorial exhibit showcasing a biological control pioneer, George Compere (1858-1928).
Monarchs: You Can't Save Them All
Monarchs: you can't save them all. It was a dismal year in Vacaville (and other parts of...
A monarch chrysalis that didn't make it. This image was taken Sept. 15. Said Art Shapiro of UC Davis: "The intersegmental membranes are showing. Whatever caused that, it opens the door to severe water loss, so the pupa will probably die." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This is what the non-viable monarch chrysalis looked like on Oct. 10. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Lynn Epstein, UC Davis emeritus professor of plant pathology, captured this image of the monarch chrysalis on Nov. 2 with a Leica DVM6 microscope.
Monarchs overwintering at Natural Bridges State Park on Nov. 14, 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bohart Museum Open House: Bed Bugs and Cochroaches and Pantry Pests
Entomology, or the scientific study of insects, is not just rural--it's urban, too. Think bed...
Karey Windbiel-Rojas of the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM), plans to wear this cockroach costume to the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Sunday, Nov. 18, when she will greet visitors and answer questions. An urban entomologist expert, she's the associate director for Urban and Community IPM who serves as the area urban IPM advisor for Yolo, Sacramento and Solano counties.
Pantry pests include booklice, pictured here in cornmeal. These nearly microscopic insects, Liposcelis bostrychophila, or "psocids" (pronounced "so kids"), are common pests in stored grains. They're usually unseen because they're about a millimeter long--about the size of a speck of dust--and are transparent to light brown in color. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Rob Page: Searching for 'The Spirit of the Hive'
For the last three decades, he's been searching for the "The Spirit of the Hive." That would be...
What's going on in the hive? World-renowned honey bee geneticist Robert Eugene “Rob” Page Jr., the 2018 recipient of the Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Award, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will speak on "In Search of the Spirit of the Hive: a 30-Year Quest"--at 4 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 29 in the International House, 10 College Park, Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)