Backyard Orchard News
Did You Hear the Buzz?
If you attended the 141st annual Dixon May Fair, held May 5-8, and saw the honey bee display in...
Fisheye view of the honey bee display at Madden Hall, Dixon May Fair. In front is Cammie Garton, fair employee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Dixon May Fair's Cammie Garton stands by an observation hive in Madden Hall. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
These decorated bee boxes are the work of youths in Garry Haddon's beekeeping project, Vaca Valley 4-H Club, Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
One display featured this interactive exhibit from UC Davis: "Guess if I'm a pollinator or not?" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Protective equipment--bee suits, gloves and smokers--lined a fence in Madden Hall. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Hall. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Crane Flies Are Here, There and Everywhere
You don't have to crane your neck to see the crane flies. They're everywhere. They're zigzagging...
A crane fly dangles from a spider web. It is about to become prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Sometimes it's an artistic sight--a crane fly and its shadow. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Head on Over to the Haven
Head on over to the haven on Friday, May 6. That would be the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven....
Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, shows a bee to haven visitor Lalibella Eaves, 6, of Quebec City, Canada. Her mother, Valerie Fournier, received her doctorate in entomology from UC Davis in 2003 and is now a professor at Laval University, Quebec City. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Professor Valerie Fournier shows her son, Phoenix Eaves, 9, the California golden poppies and insects in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. The professor is taking a sabbatical and is based in the lab of UC Davis pollination ecologist Neal Williams. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bees foraging in the haven on seaside daisies, Erigeron glaucus "Wayne Roderick." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Through its "catch-and-release" program, visitors at the haven can get up close and personal to honey bees and other insects. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Why a Population of 'Bears' May Predict White House Occupancy
Forget the polls that claim to know who will win the U.S. Presidency. Let's hear it from the...
A hungry woolly bear caterpillar, the immature form of the Ranchman's Tiger Moth, Platyprepia virginalis. This photo was taken in April 2011 in the Bodega Marine Reserve. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Kearney researcher participates in STEM high school conference at Reedley College.
Long-time Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center researcher and budding motivational speaker, Jeff Mitchell, participated in the STEM Conference organized for local San Joaquin Valley high school students on Saturday, April 23, and thoroughly enjoyed the interactive, high-energy experience.
STEM refers to science, technology, engineering, and math programs and the day-long conference was an effort by the College to stimulate interest and preparedness in interested high school students to pursue educational programs and careers related to these disciplines. Mitchell was invited to share with students his work in agricultural systems research and soil health. He provided two hands-on sessions to a wide range of students from a number of regional schools including Laton, Hanford, Corcoran, Madera, Tranquility, Sierra, Selma, Reedley, and Parlier.
The highlight of the day, however, was the motivational and music extravaganza provided by special conference guests, Domino Saints, a bilingual urban pop duo from San Juan, Puerto Rico that includes David Leal, a young and very creative mechanical engineer with several nuclear fusion technology patents, and Gisele, “Gigi,” Ojeda. Students and presenters were wowed by the infectious music and inspirational message provided by Leal.