Bug Squad

Do bees stop and smell the roses? Maybe. Honey bees gather nectar and pollen from a variety of flowers, including their favorites, the salvias, mints and lavenders. They also forage on wild roses, but usually not on commercially grown roses.

When the Northern California Entomology Society meets Thursday, Nov. 4, the menu will include walnut twig beetles, mites, drywood termites and Oriental fruit moth parasitoids. And also barbecued marinated ball tip and chicken quarters with barbecued beans and salad.

Good news. Integrated pest management specialist Frank Zalom (right), professor of entomology at UC Davis, is the 2010 recipient of the "Award for Excellence in Integrated Pest Management from the Entomological Society of America (ESA), a 6000-member worldwide organization.

The eyespots--they're almost hypnotic. And that's what makes the buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia) so easily recognizable--the bold pattern of eyespots on the wings, bold enough to startle and scare away prey. This buckeye (below) fluttered along the grounds of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.

The purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a favorite among the autumn plants blooming in the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, the half-acre bee friendly garden planted last fall next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis.