Rangelands

Who doesn't love jumping spiders? They're adorable. No? Well, they are to arthropod enthusiasts, but not so much to their prey. This one (probably a Phidippus audax, a Bold Jumper) was moving slowly and unobtrusively up a shadowed Vacaville stucco wall on the morning of Jan. 2.

Have you seen any overwintering milkweed bugs lately? About a dozen milkweed bugs, Oncopeltus fasciatus, emerged from seclusion Jan. 2, 2022 in our Vacaville garden. The temperature hovered at 32 degrees that morning, but when the sun peeked out, there they were. Mating.

Every year, invasive pests cause billions of dollars of damage to California agricultural systems and natural areas. These pests can be weeds, plant pathogens, insects, vertebrates, shellfish and other aquatic species.

Mosquito expert Sylvia Fischer of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will target the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, when she presents a UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's virtual seminar on Wednesday, Jan. 12.

Mosquito expert Sylvia Fischer of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will present the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's virtual seminar on Wednesday, Jan.

The New Year is less than a week old, and Lepidoptera (aka Lep) species are scarce. Butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, has spotted only one moth and one butterfly since Wednesday, Jan. 5.

The work of legendary E. O. Wilson (June 10, 1929 Dec. 26, 2021) influenced so many students to begin the scientific study of ants (myrmecology).

The recent death of "Ant Man" E. O. Wilson brings back memories of a family-friendly seminar on ants that UC Davis Professor Phil Ward presented Feb. 20, 2021 during the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day/Month.

The Bohart Museum of Entomology generated a lot of buzz when it sponsored its second annual "Robbin Thorp Memorial First-Bumble-Bee-of-the-Year Contest.

UC Davis second-year doctoral student Alison Coomer is now a global champion.