Gearing Up for Winter

There's a magnificent purple aster blooming in the bee yard at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, University of California, Davis.

The aster, a late-bloomer, makes for a picture-perfect apiary scene...white bee boxes in the background...purple aster in the foreground...and the sounds of bees buzzing among the flowers.

In reality, the bees are gearing up for winter, but on this sunny day, autumn mimics spring.

Meanwhile, there's an administrative buzz in the UC Davis Department of Entomology, too. The department is recruiting for an assistant professor/apiculturist.

The research focus of this position will center on investigations pertaining to honey bees (Apis mellifera) and their role in pollinating California’s $6 billion honey bee-dependent crops, according to Michael Parrella, professor and chair of the department. Possible research areas include behavior, genetics, ecology, pathology, physiology/immunology, microbiology, nutrition, toxicology, and parasitology of honey bees. 

The call is out. The beginning review date is set (Dec. 1) and a bee specialist is expected to be in place by July 1, 2011.

Hear that buzz?