Backyard Orchard News
William Meikle Seminar: A Case Study With Honey Bees
It promises to be a fascinating talk. Research entomologist William Meikle of the Carl Hayden Bee...
Research entomologist William Meikle of the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA-ARS, holding a frame which has a temperature sensor.
William Meikle's research in France included treating colonies with a biocontrol agent to target varroa mites.
Aphids? Bring on the Beetle Mania!
They're back! Have you checked your rose bushes lately? Along with the lush new growth, you'll...
Dorsal view of a multicolored Asian lady beetle on a rose bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A lady beetle gobbling an aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Peek-a-boo! A lady beetle peers between a folded rose leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Lady beetles, where are you? Here's dinner! Aphids use their long slender mouthparts to pierce plant parts and suck the juices. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Admiring the Red Admiral
So, you're taking a winter walk through the Ruth Risdon Storer Garden, part of the UC Davis...
Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta, basking on a daphne sign in the Storer Garden, UC Davis Arboretum and Public Gardens, on Jan. 28. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the Red Admiral. It's looking a little tattered but it's the dead of winter, Jan. 28. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Side view of the Red Admiral. Shortly after this photo was taken, it fluttered away. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Like a Moth to...the Front Porch Light
Like a moth to a flame... Except this moth headed not for a flame, but to a porch light. Our porch...
Well, hello, there! A late-winter noctuid, Feralia februalis, on a screen door below a porch light. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Side view of the Feralia februalis, a late-winter noctuid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Wonders of a Bumble Bee on Westringia
It's mid-February and early morning in Vallejo, Calif. Westringia is blooming along a walking path...
A black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus Bombus melanopygus, foraging on Westringia in Vallejo. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Check out the pollen on this black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus Bombus melanopygus, foraging on Westringia in Vallejo. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)