Backyard Orchard News
The Bee and the Butterfly
So here's this Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) clinging to a lavender stem in our pollinator...
A Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) clinging to a lavender stem in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee, seeking nectar from a lavender, buzzes a Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
It's up and over and away for the honey bee. Can't you see as big a thing as me? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Gulf Fritillary heads for the nearby catmint patch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bee-ing All You Can Bee: From a 4-H Beekeeper to Ag Major
We remember photographing a young beekeeper, Mikayla Hagan of the Rio Vista (Calif.) 4-H Club, when...
Back in 2012, beekeeper Mikayla Hagan of the Rio Vista 4-H Club talked about her beekeeping project with then Mike Reagan, member of the Solano County Board of Supervisors. She won a showmanship award at the Solano County 4-H Project Skills Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Fast forward to today: Mikayla Hagan (center) is the recipient of a college agricultural scholarship from the Friends of the Dixon May Fair. With her are scholarship chair Carrie Hamel of Dixon and Friends of the Fair president Donnie Huffman of Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Six college scholarship winners received a total of $11,250 from the Friends of the Dixon May Fair in 2018, totaling $186,250 in college scholarships awarded since 2000. In front (from left) are Cameron Garlick of Dixon, Makala Hagan of Rio Vista, Mackenzie Davi of Dixon, Rebecca Luedke of Dixon, and Jillian Raycraft of Dixon. In back are Donnie Huffman of Vacaville, president of the Friends of the Fair, and Carrie Hamel of Dixon, scholarship chair. Not pictured is scholarship recipient Halie
Dress right for work – check out the new UC IPM online course on personal protective equipment
Spring is in full swing and summer is right around the corner. If you work in agricultural, turf, landscape, or structural settings, you are probably at your busiest. If you handle pesticides as part of your work, you most likely wear some sort of personal protective equipment (PPE). However, do you know if you are wearing the right type for the job that you do? Wearing the appropriate PPE, taking it off the right way, and correctly cleaning it prevents unnecessary pesticide exposure to yourself and others. Learn the steps so you don't expose your family members or those around you to pesticide residues by viewing a brand new online course on Proper Selection, Use, and Removal of Personal Protective Equipment from the UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM).
The courseis approved by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) for 1.5 hours in the Laws and Regulations category. This course is designed for all pesticide handlers with the goal to provide them with information on pesticide labels and the California Code of Regulations (CCR) to help them select, wear, remove, and dispose of or store PPE.
In California, all pesticide handlers (applicators, mixers, loaders, those who transport pesticides, or those who fix application equipment) are legally required to wear PPE. However, in order to get the most protection from PPE, it must be used correctly. Violations involving the incorrect use of PPE were the second most commonly reported type of agricultural-use violation in 2017 as reported by DPR (PDF).
The new PPE online course opens with a scenario describing a real example of an accident reported to DPR that led to an incident of pesticide exposure because the correct eye protection was not worn. The content that follows is divided into six instructional modules, highlighting types of PPE, how to select it, and when certain items should be worn. Answer short questions about the different types of PPE. Open pesticide labels to learn how to select the right PPE and learn when certain items should be worn. Short how-to videos and animated sequences demonstrate the proper way to put on or remove items such as gloves, coveralls, respirators, and eyewear. You must pass a final test with 70% or higher to receive your certificate of completion and continuing education hours.
If this is the year to renew your license with DPR, get a jumpstart on it. Take this new course and all the other UC IPM online courses to refresh your knowledge and get the CEUs you need. There is a $30 fee for taking Proper Selection, Use, and Removal of Personal Protective Equipment. You are welcome to view the content for free on YouTube, but without the activities, final exam, and continuing education credit. For more information about license renewal, visit DPR.
Dress right for work – check out the new UC IPM online course on personal protective equipment
Spring is in full swing and summer is right around the corner. If you work in agricultural, turf,...
How Are Butterflies Faring? Art Shapiro Addresses Butterfly Summit
"It ain't so much the things we don't know that get us into trouble, it's the things we do know...
Tora Rocha, founder of the Pollinator Posse, based in Oakland, introduces UC Davis distinguished professor Art Shapiro. Rocha also delivered a presentation. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Following Art Shapiro's talk, attendees line up to speak to him. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Stevanne Auerbach of Berkeley, a consultant, author and speaker, talks to Art Shapiro following his Butterfly Summit talk at Annie's Annuals and Perennials. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)