Bug Squad

It's National Pollinator Week, and what a perfect time to welcome native pollinator specialist Neal Williams to the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty. He's actually no stranger to UC Davis. He's been collaborating with researchers at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.

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.

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.

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).

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.