If you want to learn more about native bees, mark your calendar for Saturday, April 23.
That's when the Davis Science Collective, a group of STEM graduate students at UC Davis who like to get together and do science outreach in their spare time, will host an event from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Mary L. Stephens Branch of the Yolo County Public Library, 315 E. 14th St., Davis.
It's appropriately called “Native Bee Day,” and it's free and open to the public.
UC Davis graduate student Shahla Farzan says a variety of activities and live demonstrations will be offered, including:
- Pollen display
- Live mason bees and carpenter bees
- Bees vs. flies vs. wasps: What's the difference?
- How does pollination work?
- Bees of the world, courtesy of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis.
“It's more of an interactive event geared toward families, so we won't be having any formal talks,” Farzan said. “Instead, we're planning a variety of demonstrations and hands-on activities. For instance, we'll have an activity station where kids can learn how pollination works. First, the kids will cover their fingers in chalk dust (i.e. pollen) and collect plastic beads from inside tissue paper flowers (representing a nectar reward). As they collect 'nectar,' they'll transfer 'pollen' onto the flowers.”
Entomology graduate student Tricia Bohls of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will be there to explain the differences between honey bees and native bees. Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor at UC Davis, will showcase carpenter bees at the live native bee table. Also exhibited will be blue orchard bees, affectionately known as BOBs.
For more information, access the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/985443778172006/
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