Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
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A female tachinid on lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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It's Friday Fly Day!

December 17th, 2021
If it's Friday, it must be "Friday Fly Day!" And a perfect day to post an image of a fly. This is a female tachinid, genus Peleteria, in the family Tachinidae. It is perched on a lavender in Vacaville, Calif. The genus is characterized by two prominent setae in front of the lower part of the eye.
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The cover image of BioScience by Diego Delso shows a Bombus terrestris, a buff-tailed bumble bee that is one of the most numerous bumble bee species in Europe.
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Do Forests Play a Role in Bumble Bee Life History?

December 16th, 2021
Do forests play a role in bumble bee life history? Yes, says UC Davis alumnus and research ecologist John Mola and his colleagues in a newly published article, "The Importance of Forests in Bumble Bee Biology and Conservation," the cover story in the current edition of the journal Bioscience.
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Inside the hive: a queen bee and worker bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Western Honey Bee Origin: It's in the Genes

December 14th, 2021
Scientists and honey bee enthusiasts have been debating the origin of the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) for centuries. We know that European colonists introduced honey bees (Apis mellifera) into the Jamestown colony (now Virginia) in 1622.
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This was part of Extension apiculturist emeritus Eric Mussen's office, ready to be moved. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Eric Has Left the Building

December 13th, 2021
Remember when, following an Elvis Presley concert, an emcee would announce "Elvis has left the building"? That was to signal that Elvis would not be returning for an encore. Since then, "Elvis has left the building," has served as a catchphrase for not only music celebrities but for retirees.
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