Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
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Rain beetles collected in the Shenandoah Valley of Plymouth, Amador County. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Ever Seen a Rain Beetle?

December 15th, 2022
Ever seen a rain beetle? During these winter rainstorms, keep your eye out for the rain beetle, genus Pleocoma, family Pleocomidae. You may see them before sunrise or just after sunset. The males can fly only a couple of hours before they die. The females are flightless.
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Entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart Museum, shows visitors some of the specimens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Bohart Museum of Entomology: Limited Hours During the Holiday Season

December 14th, 2022
If you're planning to visit the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the University of Davis, campus, the hours are limited during the holiday season. Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator, announced today: The last day in December that we are open to the public is Thursday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m.
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A honey bee heads for an African mallow, Anisodontea capensis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Honey Bees Do Love Their Mallow

December 13th, 2022
There's not much blooming this time of year but if and when blossoms burst open, the honey bees are going to find them. Take the Anisodontea capensis, the cape mallow or African mallow. It's a species in the mallow family, Malvaceae.
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A honey bee sips honey from a plastic spoon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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When Honey Is Not Honey

December 12th, 2022
"Bee-free honey?" What? It's interesting that a company based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, has announced plans to produce a "bee-free honey." Snackandbakery.com recently published a piece about Fooditive's plans.
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