Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
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A DAMSELFLY, probably a bluet, perches on a tower of jewels, a bee-friendly plant. Now it's a damselfly-friendly plant. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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A Damsel Not in Distress

June 24th, 2009
They're as long and thin as darning needles. And, sometimes theyre as difficult to find as a needle in the proverbial haystack. These slender, frail-looking insects (below) are damselflies. They fly around ponds and streams and perch on plants near the shoreline.
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HONEY BEE touches down on a bristly oxtongue, a plant considered a noxious weed to people but a treasure to bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Noxious or Nice?

June 23rd, 2009
Today, in honor of National Pollinator Week, we turn to the Picris echioides. Picris echioides? You either hate it or love it. Honey bees love it. Gardeners hate it. ?If you plant a lawn with Picris echioides, expect a visit from Code Compliance.
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THE HONEY BEE (Apis mellifera) is a cause for celebration during National Pollinator Week, June 22-28. This honey bee is nectaring sage. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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First Garden, First Hives, First Bees

June 22nd, 2009
This week (June 22-28) is National Pollinator Week, and what better time to celebrate the honey bee than now? The White House Victory Garden, planted the first day of spring on part of the South Lawn, now has thousands of new residents: honey bees (Apis mellifera).
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HONEY BEE, one leg extended, heads for the pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Packing 'n Pressing Pollen

June 19th, 2009
Quick! How many legs does a honey bee have? If you said "three pairs" or "six legs," you'd bee right. But have you ever noticed the honey bee in flight? The worker bee packs pollen in her pollen baskets or corbiculae, located on the midsegments of her outer hind legs.
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BOTTLE-GREEN blow fly, the color of emeralds, on a pink cosmos. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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The Bug Stops Here

June 18th, 2009
President Obama caught a little flak when he smacked a fly during a recent press interview in the White House. During the interview, a pesky fly buzzed around his head and then landed on his hand. Big mistake. The commander-in-chief nailed him. The bug stopped there. "I got the sucker," he said.
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