News & Information Outreach

The SJC and Delta Field Crops Meeting agenda is announced.

By David Shubin, ISA Certified Arborist and UC Master Gardener of Napa County.Fall in Napa Valley brings that familiar mix of cool air and golden light and, for many of us, the instinct to start cleaning up.  Out come the rakes, clippers and green bins. It feels good to set things right. But before you…

 Bees, wasps, flies, oh, my!Many non-insect enthusiasts often misidentify insects. A honey bee become a fly, a wasp becomes a bee, and a fly becomes a wasp or bee.So organizers of the Bohart Museum of Entomology's recent open house on  "Bees and Their Mimics" helped set the record straight…

Blog article by Michelle SchlegelLast Saturday, I was walking through a large greenhouse filled with unusual and rare plants. These greenhouse plants were protected from direct sun, extreme temperatures, and the environment was quite humid. Despite the lack of direct sunlight, the cacti and succulents were…

 Congrats to Rithica! It's so great to see young scientists excel!Rithika Senthilkumar, an undergraduate research scholar in the UC Davis Vector Genetics Laboratory (VGL), School of Veterinary Medicine, has been awarded a highly competitive 2025 Promega D.O.O.R.S. (Development of Our Research…

 Today (Tuesday) is Giving Day.Let's give to the honey bees. Or, rather, let's "give BACK" to the bees. Honey bees pollinate about one-third of our food supply, including fruits, vegetables and nuts. They also provide us with honey, beeswax and other products.To us, giving to the bees means giving…

The invasive pest spotlight focuses on emerging or potential invasive pests in California. In this issue we are covering nutria. Nutria Facts The nutria is a large semi-aquatic rodent introduced to California in the early 1900s to be farmed for their fur. When the fur market collapsed, many nutria…

How about bringing a new plant home to cheer up these dark winter days?  For the avid gardener, houseplants can be an excellent source of greenery and even flowers when the outside garden has gone gray and dormant in the doldrums of mid-winter.  The Moth Orchid, ZZ Plant, Christmas Cactus, Snake Plant,…

 They are a special group of people--the people who receive the California State Beekeepers' Association's Eric Mussen Distinguished Service Award, launched in 2015.Eric Mussen (1944-2022), who served for 38 years as the UC Cooperative Extension apiculturist and member of the UC Davis Department of…

The winter holidays are filled with traditions — cozy gatherings, comforting foods, and the joy of giving. But from a mental wellbeing perspective, the way we give gifts can either nurture connection or add unnecessary stress.The Capitalist Crunch Every year, “Black Friday creep” starts earlier,…

By Aileen Carroll, UC Master Gardener of Napa County. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted a garden of my own.   Not just a few pots on a patio, but a real piece of earth to tend. One that no one else could trample, paint or accidentally “weed.”  When I was a college student living in a…

 Entomologist Jeff Smith, who curates the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis,  has just finished spreading the wings of a moth that has a 4mm wingspan."I've been concentrating for months on spreading our huge backlog of field pinned…

 When you sit down at your Thanksgiving table today, thank the bees.“A substantial portion of the meal is pollinated by the honey bee,” the late Extension Apiculturist Eric Mussen (1944-2022), a member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty and a noted authority on honey bees, told us…

 How to keep honey bees healthy...UC Davis alumnus and Honey bee specialist Richard Martinez of the E. L. Niño lab will present his exit seminar, hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, on Wednesday, Dec. 3 in Room 122 of Briggs Hall.Martinez, who received his master's degree in…

 The incredible career and accomplishmenets of UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emerita Diane Ullman of the Department of Entomology and Nematology!She's featured in a newly released three-part video series produced by the UC Davis Emeriti Association in its ongoing video project to preserve the history…

In October I attended “Connecting with Nature,” a free event held by the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) and sponsored by the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Stanislaus County. at We viewed an inspirational video by Doug Tallamy, a professor in the Department of Entomology and…

The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is an iconic symbol of the holiday season; its vibrant, colorful leaves—known as bracts—bring cheer to homes and businesses around the world. While the plant is synonymous with modern winter holidays, its story is a rich tapestry that begins centuries ago in the…