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Posts Tagged: mustard

Why Those Multi-Tasking Honey Bees Have Nothing on Amina Harris

If you can't chew gum and walk at the same time, think about the multi-tasking honey bee. Have you ever seen a worker bee engaging in three tasks...

A honey bee in flight, as she adjusts her pollen load and cleans her tongue or proboscis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee in flight, as she adjusts her pollen load and cleans her tongue or proboscis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee in flight, as she adjusts her pollen load and cleans her tongue or proboscis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee heads straight for the mustard. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The honey bee heads straight for the mustard. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee heads straight for the mustard. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 5:33 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources

A Bumble Bee on Mustard in the Golden State

What's better than a yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) on yellow mustard? Not much. Both are signs of early spring. Mustard is popping...

A pollen-laded yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, buzzes toward a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A pollen-laded yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, buzzes toward a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A pollen-laded yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, buzzes toward a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Coming in for a landing! A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, lands on a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Coming in for a landing! A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, lands on a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Coming in for a landing! A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, lands on a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It doesn't get any better than this. Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) lands on a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
It doesn't get any better than this. Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) lands on a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It doesn't get any better than this. Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) lands on a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 5:22 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Natural Resources

In the Loop--on the Mustard

Ever seen this mottled brownish/blackish/grayish moth around lately? The alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica? We spotted this moth, as...

The alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica, nectaring on mustard blossoms in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica, nectaring on mustard blossoms in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica, nectaring on mustard blossoms in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spreading its wings, the alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica, is oblivious to the photographer.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Spreading its wings, the alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica, is oblivious to the photographer.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spreading its wings, the alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica, is oblivious to the photographer.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of the alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Side view of the alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of the alfalfa looper moth, Autographa californica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 4:12 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Natural Resources, Pest Management, Yard & Garden

The Bee and The Ladybug

A little drama in the mustard patch... A honey bee is foraging head-first in the mustard. She's collecting nectar and pollen. She does not see the...

A honey bee and a lady beetle, aka lady bug, thrust deep inside a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee and a lady beetle, aka lady bug, thrust deep inside a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee and a lady beetle, aka lady bug, thrust deep inside a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)


"Okay, ladybug, get ready, here I come. We'll share, okay? Pollen and nectar for me. Aphids for you." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Okay, ladybug, get ready, here I come. We'll share, okay? Pollen and nectar for me. Aphids for you." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)


"Okay, ladybug, I'm coming closer." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Okay, ladybug, I'm coming closer." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)


"Okay, ladybug, I'm leaving. Enjoy the aphids." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Okay, ladybug, I'm leaving. Enjoy the aphids." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 at 5:00 PM
Tags: honey bee (240), lady beetle (27), ladybug (28), mustard (15)
Focus Area Tags: Food, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

Rolling in the Mustard

A sure sign of spring: honey bees foraging on mustard. You'll see mustard growing as cover crops in the Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley vineyards, but...

A honey bee foraging on mustard on Sunday, March 18 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee foraging on mustard on Sunday, March 18 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee foraging on mustard on Sunday, March 18 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Full speed ahead:
Full speed ahead: "gold dust" or mustard pollen covers the head of this honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Full speed ahead: "gold dust" or mustard pollen covers the head of this honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Look closely and you can see the proboscis (tongue) of this honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Look closely and you can see the proboscis (tongue) of this honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Look closely and you can see the proboscis (tongue) of this honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

And she's off! A honey bee caught in flight as she leaves a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
And she's off! A honey bee caught in flight as she leaves a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

And she's off! A honey bee caught in flight as she leaves a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, March 19, 2018 at 12:01 PM
Tags: gold dust (3), honey bees (440), mustard (15), pollen (36), vineyards (3)
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources

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