Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
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A male longhorned bee, Melissodes communis, as identified by native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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'Bee a Scientist' on May 8

May 5th, 2014
Get ready! It's almost time to count the pollinators! The University of California's Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) wants you set aside three minutes on Thursday, May 8 and count the pollinators wherever you live--and they live--in California.
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Honey bees clustering on pomegranate blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Where the Bees Are

May 2nd, 2014
Do you now where the bees are? On Thursday, May 8 let's all step outside for three minutes and count the honey bees and other pollinators. It's all part of the "Day of Science and Service" sponsored by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR).
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A white-lined Sphinx moth heads for a flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Like a Moth to a Flame

May 1st, 2014
Moths. Mother's Day. The two go together like a moth to a flame, so why not have "Moth-er's Day?" And that's exactly what the Bohart Museum of Entomology is doing from 1 to 4 p.m.,Sunday, May 4 in Room 1124 of Academic Surge, Crocker Lane, UC Davis. The open house is free and open to the public.
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A Valley carpenter bee appears to be "nectar-robbing," drilling a hole through the flower instead of going into the entrance. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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The Lurking Place of the Fairies

April 30th, 2014
Foxgloves are called "the lurking place of the fairies." That could be. Foxgloves are also known by their genus name, Digitalis--meaning fingerlike. The genus is native to western and southwestern Europe, western and central Asia, Australasia and northwestern Africa.
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Honey bee packing a load of blue pollen heading for the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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How Tall Is It?

April 29th, 2014
We have this tall plant in our back yard. How tall is it? Tall enough to give weather forecasts. (It's never caught short by a sudden storm.) Tall enough to see over the neighbor's fence to find a missing ball.
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