Rangelands

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In this image, taken Aug. 1, 2008, Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen (left) talks to vanpool driver Keir Reavie, head of the Biological and Agriculture Sciences Department at Shields Library, about the bees that "hitched" a ride on a commuter van traveling from El Cerrito to the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Honey of a Ride and a Whale of a Legacy

June 6, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It was a honey of a ride. My inaugural Bug Squad blog on Aug. 6, 2008 dealt with a swarm of bees that "hitched" a ride on Aug. 1 from El Cerrito to UC Davis on a commuter van. "At 7 a.m., a group of UC Davis employees approached their commuter van in an El Cerrito parking lot.
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Spill the Beans: Article

A honey bee story

June 6, 2022
by Jan Hughes I, like many of you, have worked to add native plants to my mostly suburban landscape in order to attract more pollinators and to give shelter to more critters. I have enjoyed the process and watching new species appear.
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Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus-altissima) is an invasive plant that supports the spotted lantern fly, an invasive insect. (Joe DiTomaso)
The Stanislaus Sprout: Article

Invasive Beauties Can Be Deceiving

June 6, 2022
By Anne E Schellman
Humans love anything new and different, and that includes plants for their garden. In the past, when bringing plants into California from other places, people had no idea this could cause environmental problems.
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A European wool carder bee in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

European Wool Carder Bees Are on the Move

June 2, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Seen any European wool carder bees lately? European wool carder bees (so named because the female collects or cards plant hairs for their nests) are on the move. The bees, about the size of honey bees, are mostly black and yellow.
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UC Davis Academic Senate and the Academic Federation honored their award recipients at a ceremony on Tuesday, May 31 in the International House. This is a screen shot of the PowerPoint presentation.
Entomology & Nematology News: Article

Academic Senate Presents Awards to Diane Ullman, Joanna Chiu, Walter Leal

June 2, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
UC Davis professors Diane Ullman and Joanna Chiu of the Department of Entomology and Nematology and UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and a former chair of the Department of Entomology, were among those honored at an awards ceremony host...
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A sulphur butterfly, Colias eurytheme, and a honey bee, Apis mellifera, meet on lavender. The butterfly is a male, as identified by Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Bee and the Butterfly

June 1, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The bee and the butterfly. Or, Apis mellifera and Colias eurytheme. One's a beneficial insect. That would "bee" the honey bee. The other is a yellow and white butterfly, striking in appearance, but in its larval stage, it's a major pest of alfalfa.
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A male valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa sonorina, engaging in nectar robbing; he's sipping nectar through a hole in the base of a foxglove blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

How a 'Bear' Can Outsmart a Fox

May 30, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
There's a way for a bear to outsmart a fox. A teddy bear bee, that is. We just witnessed a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa sonorina, aka "the teddy bear bee," buzz up to a patch of foxgloves, Digitalis purpurea. Then he engaged in the foraging behavior known as nectar-robbing.
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