Backyard Orchard News
There's a Black Widow Spider in the Parade!
The venomous black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus) is usually found in and around wood piles,...
UC Davis Entomology Club members with the black widow spider float are (from left) Darian Dungey, James Fong, Chloe Shott (partially shown), Ben Maples (partially shown) James Heydon, Maia Lundy, Diego Rivera. Lundy is the president of the club. (Photo by Melissa Cruz)
UC Davis Entomology Club members "walk" the black widow spider in the UC Davis Picnic Day Parade. From left are Eliza Litsey, Ben Maples (in spider abdomen), Chloe Shott (in spider cephalothorax), Darian Dungey (holding sign), James Heydon, James Fong (in bee costume), Crystal Homicz, and Diego Rivera. (Photo by Melissa Cruz)
Following the parade, the black widow spider was showcased in front of Briggs Hall, home of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A young child stares at the black widow spider in front of Briggs Hall, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Why Dead Bees Can Sting
Can dead bees sting? Yes, they can. Here's the scenario: Our pollinator garden is buzzing with the...
A California scrub jay nails a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The California scrub jay decapitates the honey bee, avoiding the abdomen with the stinger. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This is what was left of the honey bee from the photos above. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
On UC Davis Picnic Day, scrub jays had a picnic of their own in the author's yard, decapitating honey bees, and leaving behind the abdomens. Note the stingers. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Show Me the Honey--And They Did!
Show me the honey! That was a popular refrain at the 103rd annual UC Davis Picnic Day, held...
Graduate student Jackson Audley of the Steve Seybold lab hands a honey-coated toothpick to a participant. At far left is graduate student Wei Lin of the Brian Johnson lab. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Graduate students Yao Cai (left) of the Joanna Chiu lab and Wei Lin of the Brian Johnson lab, greet participants. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Graduate students Maureen Page (foreground) of the Neal Williams lab, and Patricia Bohls of the Elina Niño serve honey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A poster describing many honey varietals drew a lot of interest at the honey tasting table. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Seeing Spots at the Bohart
If you walk into the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, you'll see...
The Bohart team includes (front, from left) graduate students Charlotte Herbert and Jessica Gillung and undergraduate student Wade Spencer. In back (from left) are UC Davis biology student Emma Cluff; Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator; Bohart Museum director Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology; and Steve Heydon, senior museum scientist. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Seeing spots--scores of t-shirts are lined up, ready to be placed in the gift shop. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
'Show Me the Honey' and 'Show Me the Bugs' at UC Davis Picnic Day
It wouldn't be a picnic without bugs. They are, you know, everywhere. However, when...
There will be lots to see during Picnic Day at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. These butterflies are among the museum's nearly 8 million insect specimens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A visitor at the Bohart Museum takes an image of a tarantula. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Lynn Kimsey (left), director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and UC Davis professor of entomology, talks to visitors at a UC Davis Picnic Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey tasting is a popular event at UC Davis Picnic Day and is in the running for a special award, determined by popular vote. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Briggs Hall, home of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, draws some 3000 to 4000 visitors during the annual UC Davis Picnic Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)