Want to see a bee observation hive, taste honey, and learn about honey bee health? Those are some of the activities planned when the Bohart Museum of Entomology hosts an open house on managed bees and wild bees on Sunday, May 19. The open house, free and family friendly, takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. It's perfect timing for "World Bee Day," observed annually on May 20. At the Sunday open house, UC Davis ..read more

If you've been following the outstanding academic accomplishments of UC Davis doctoral candidate Danielle Rutkowski, you know that she researches the symbiotic fungi associated with social bees; is a 4.0 student; engages in public service; and is a major award winner in multiple graduate student competitions hosted by the Entomological Society of America (ESA). Rukowski, who studies with community ecologists Rachel Vannette, associate professor and vice chair of the UC Davis Department of ..read more

From honey bees to bumble bees to mason bees to orchid bees--you'll see those and more--and you'll get the opportunity to talk to researchers at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Sunday, May 19. Free and family friendly, the open house takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. "It should be a great event!” said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator. “There is a lot of interest in bees this ..read more

Congratulations to UC Davis outstanding scientist Shawn Christensen, a doctoral candidate and microbiologist who was just selected the 2024 recipient of the Merton Love Ecology and Dissertation Award, an annual award that celebrates the university's most outstanding doctoral dissertation in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. A member of the Microbiology Graduate Group and the laboratory of community ecologist Rachel Vannette, associate professor and vice chair of the UC Davis ..read more

Get ready...it's happening...the annual World Bee Day... Monday, May 20 is World Bee Day, as declared by the United Nations "to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face, and their contribution to sustainable development." "The goal is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries," the website points ..read more

In the human world, we recognize Mother's Day as a special day to celebrate all mothers. It's a day that Anna Jarvis of Grafton, West Va., established on May 10, 1909 with a worship service at St. Andrew's Methodist Church, Grafton. Lady beetles, aka ladybugs, are mothers, too. The female lays a batch of eggs, from 10 to 50, at one time, and can lay about 1000 eggs in her lifetime, scientists say. Beneficial insects! Yes, but in their larval form they eat even more. Mature lady beetles will ..read more

Being bothered by mosquitoes and troubled about the risk of diseases? Mosquitoes are not just annoying. They can be deadly. Medical entomologist-geneticist Geoffrey Attardo, associate professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will discuss the risks of mosquito-borne diseases in California at a free seminar sponsored by the Center for Land-Based Learning (CLBL) on Wednesday, May 15. The seminar, titled "Natural Mosquito Control," is part of the California Farm Academy ..read more

It was all the buzz. Thousands of bee and honey enthusiasts made a beeline for the California Honey Festival, held last Saturday on the Yolo County Fairgrounds. The annual festival, relocated this year from the streets of downtown Woodland to the fairgrounds due to a weather forecast cautioning heavy rain and wind, drew scores of smiles beneath the arched umbrellas. Beekeeper Rick Moehrke, a retired Vacaville teacher, answered questions about bees in the Sacramento Area Beekeepers ..read more

Look closely at a patch of California golden poppies and you may see a sweat bee (genus Halictus) collecting gold pollen. The pollen basket is on the hind legs but you'll see "gold" also dusting the head and abdomen. Native bee, commonly known as "halictid bee." Native plant. In fact, the California golden poppy, Eschscholzia californica, is the state flower. And the rumor that it's "protected" and you'll get arrested if you pick a poppy along a roadside is inaccurate. The California ..read more

You usually see Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology, in the insect museum, answering questions, guiding tours, or doing outreach at schools, festivals, fairs, open houses and other special events. She's right at home with a "Oh, my drawers" of insect specimens, and the live critters in the petting zoo--the Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects, tarantulas and more...She's eager to communicate science ..read more