Bug Squad

Are you on a winning streak? Or a losing streak? Or somewhere in between? The Gray Hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus) is always on a streak--a gray streak.

Our buddy, the resident praying mantis, appears to be in perfect form. Crouched beneath the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia), he glistens in the early morning light, as honey bees, long-horned bees, Gulf Fritillary butterflies and fiery skippers search for food.

Bee food. That's what the globe artichoke is. Bee food. Many of us let our artichokes flower, not because we don't like the vegetable, but because we like bees better.

There's something about the cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) that makes folks foam at the mouth.

So you want to keep bees in your backyard... When do you start? What should you do? Newly retired Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, continues to field questions.