Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
Primary Image
LOOKING like pure gold, an Italian bee nectars lavender. The yellow leaves of a pomegranate tree are in the background. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

Thar's Gold in That Thar Lavender

November 25th, 2009
I slipped into the back yard today to see how many honey bees were nectaring the lavender, one of the few plants still blooming. A few here. A few there. That's when I saw her. A bee the color of pure gold. And she was carrying a load of pollen that was equally pure gold.
View Article
Primary Image
HONEY BEE heads for a Leptospermum scoparium keatleyi, also known as a "royal pink manuka." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

Tea for Two

November 24th, 2009
In a way, it's "tea for two." The New Zealand tea tree, Leptospermum scoparium, aka "manuka," "tea tree," and "Leptospermum," is a favorite of the light brown apple moth AND honey bees. We captured images of bees on Leptospermum scoparium keatleyi recently in Sausalito.
View Article
Primary Image
THREE GREEN APHIDS are sucking plant juices from a rock purslane, while a honey bee is sipping nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

Guess Who Came to Dinner?

November 23rd, 2009
Picture this. A light rainstorm strikes the garden, pummeling and shredding some of the blossoms. As the rain lets up, a honey bee buzzes into a rock purslane blossom for a sweet shot of nectar. She is not alone. If you look closely, you'll see three green aphids on an unopened blossom next to her.
View Article
Primary Image
SPECTACULAR PHOTOGRAPHY of entomologist Rollin Coville, who received his doctorate in entomology from UC Berkeley, graces the 2010 Native Bees Calendar, a fundraising project of the Xerces Society and the Great Sunflower Project. (Photos courtesy of Rollin Coville)
Article

Native Bee Calendar Focuses on 'Pin-Up Girls'--and Boys

November 20th, 2009
Humans aren't the only calendar pin-up models. Think native bees. Think the 2010 Native Bees Calendar. The Xerces Society and the Great Sunflower Project have joined forces to produce a calendar showcasing 12 commonly found native bees.
View Article
Primary Image
LADYBUG crawls on a leaf at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

What's Bugging the Ladybug?

November 19th, 2009
It probably bugs her but it doesn't kill her. But why? An entomologist at the University of Montreal is investigating why parasitic wasps (Dinocampus coccinellae) that lay their eggs on ladybugs (Coccinella maculata) do not kill them. Often a parasitic insect, such as a tachinid fly, kills its host.
View Article