From the UC Blogosphere...
Don't Say the "R" Word
For being "retired," Hugh Dingle is one busy scientist. Dingle, an emeritus professor in the UC Davis Department of...
Soapberry Bug
A couple of brief takes on bees
The KQED blog "News Fix" included a quick update yesterday about the California deep freeze that fizzled.
"It didn't snow in San Francisco — not really — or anywhere else near sea level late last week. Boo hoo. Let's get over it," wrote Dan Brekke.
But it was cold, so Brekke spoke to UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Joe Connell about the effect of the cool February temperatures on California's almond crop.
Honeybees don’t like to fly in rain or freezing temperatures, Connell told him, so almond pollination has been delayed.
In other bee news, Southwest Airlines in-flight magazine Spirit highlighted a surprising fact: A bee produces just one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
Each worker bee will fly 37,400 miles from flower to flower gathering nectar for that tiny bit of sweetener.
The queenbee's role was detailed by UC Davis honeybee expert Eric Mussen: “While the queen lays more than 1,000 eggs a day, other bees are busy feeding her, guarding the hive, and fanning the nectar with their wings to extract moisture, turning it into honey.”
A honeybee in a nectarine blossom.
Pollen Power
Cool temperatures and honey bees do not a good team make. Since honey bees don't forage until temperatures hit 50 to 55...
Pollen Power
Pollen Everywhere
Pollen Load
Agritourism continues its whistle-stop tour of California
This week, the UC small farm program's final agritourism workshop in a series of five convenes in Monterey, winding up a whirlwind educational and promotional tour of California aimed at selling the farm - to visitors.
All over California, farmers are inviting visitors to participate in farm camps, harvest festivals, horseback riding, hiking, hunting, bird-watching, tours and farm stand activities like tasting and picking, according to a Corning Observer story about the Feb. 23 agritourism workshop in Red Bluff.
"Agritourism is a good way for farmers and ranchers to connect with the community and make money doing it. The main objective is to make the business work," the article quoted Penny Leff, UC agritourism coordinator.
The workshop series is offering professional development for people involved in agritourism and building a stronger infrastructure for successful agritourism in the region. Participants are learning that agritourism could be profitable, but it is also challenging.
"Don't quit your day job," agritourism entrepreneur Bob Nash said at the Red Bluff event. His small small pumpkin patch on the Old Oregon Trail has evolved to include wagon rides, a petting zoo, an antique tractor show and tractor pulls, corn maze, haunted house and a variety of activities and demonstrations. "It doesn't happen overnight and it takes a lot of marketing."
Other speakers advised talking to city and county planners, doing research, assessing a competitive advantage, understanding the market, finding an angle, navigating the permit and approval process, collaborating with partners, developing a trusted product and marketing it to customers, wrote reporter Susan Meeker.
The final agritourism workshop will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3, at the Monterey County UC Cooperative Extension office. Find more information here.
Diverse offerings will attract visitors to the farm.
Around the Cape
It's not just honey bees that forage among the cape mallows in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr....
Hover Fly on Cape Mallow
Close-up