Rangelands

Many factors make weed management on federal public lands an interesting challenge. In September I was invited to join one of the Sierra National Forest Rangeland Management Specialists to explore a medusahead infestation in one of the grazing allotments she manages.

Do you know how honey bees, the world's most beneficial insects, produce wax? Have you ever worked with beeswax? Have you ever made candles and wax resusable food wraps? Ever gifted them during the holidays to friends, family and co-workers?

Warning: the video link in this blog post includes images of a sheep killed by a coyote. This story begins several weeks back. We split our ewe flock into two breeding groups in late September, and kept a third group (of replacement ewe lambs, who won't be bred until next fall) separate.

Nematodes (microscopic, eel-like roundworms) aren't usually a household word but they're featured prominently in the current edition of The Plant Journal. And UC Davis plant nematologist Shahid Siddique, formerly with the University of Bonn, is at the heart of it.

Weeds in the landscape can be tough to manage. But there are many options for weed management using an integrated approach that combines nonchemical and chemical methods. Start by identifying the weeds you want to manage.

Newly published nematode research led by plant nematologist Shahid Siddique of UC Davis, formerly with the University of Bonn, is featured as the research highlight in the October 14th edition of The Plant Journal.

Those enrolling in the Wax Working, Honey and Hive Products, a first-of-its-kind class offered by the Elina Nio lab at the University of California, Davis, will learn how wax is made, how to collect it, how to process it, and how to make their own wax products such as candles and wax reusable food w...

So here are all these milkweed bugs clustered on a showy milkweed leaf, Asclepias speciosa. It's early morning and the red bugs are a real eye opener.

What a catchy title: "Not So Heartless." Wait, there's more! "Not So Heartless: Functional Integration of the Immune and Circulatory Systems of Mosquitoes." This may not be the proverbial heart-stopping seminar, but it promises to be an eye opener by a medical entomologist and captivating speaker.

Back in February, butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, told a monarch butterfly summit on the UC Davis campus--organized by the Environmental Defense Fund--that the monarchs are "on life support.