News

Calling All Bee Friends: Join Our Houdini Fly Hunt on iNaturalist Note: If you received our email about a UC Davis partnership, there's been a change in plans. You're in the right place, and your help is still just as important! We've got some big news to share with our bee-loving friends! We're launching a citizen science project using iNaturalist to track Houdini flies spreading across the nation. How We Discovered the Problem Our journey with the Houdini fly began when Dave first spotted this pest eight years ago. He took specimens to the Orchard Bee Association (OBA), where two...

What a buzz! I just had the chance to talk about native bees on NPR! Here's what happened and why it matters to all of us. The Interview Scott Simon and the NPR team, of Weekend Edition Saturday, were so welcoming! We had a great chat about bees before going on air. Once we started, it felt just like talking to a friend about something I love. Click here to read the full article from Weekend Edition. The Bee Problem I shared how all insects face big challenges today: Climate change is hurting them Chemicals in yards and farms are...

Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability. 1. How One Entomologist Learned to Appreciate the Little Things (Microbes) in Life (Entomology Today, by Jacqueline Serrano, Ph.D.) The Entomological Society of America’s Early Career Professionals (ECP) Committee, highlights outstanding ECPs that are doing great work in the profession. During his Ph.D. work at the University of California, Riverside, Jake Cecala, Ph.D., conducted a project looking at the effects of irrigation and pesticide use in ornamental plants on solitary bee reproduction. The project comprised 20 mesh flight cages set up...

Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability. 1. Australia is in a unique position to eliminate the bee-killing Varroa mite. Here’s what happens if we don’t (The Conversation) Varroa mites – notorious honey bee parasites – have recently reached Australian shores, detected at the Port of Newcastle in New South Wales last year. If they establish here, there would be significant implications for agricultural food security, as honey bees are heavily relied on for the pollination of many crops. However, while Australia is the last continent to be...