Bee creative!

That's what scientists at the University of California, Davis; area artists; and the general public will "bee" during the Davis Art Center's public exhibit, "Discovery Art: Cross Pollination, Sharing Art, Sharing Ideas," on Friday night, Aug. 10.

Billed as two hours of fun and education about pollinators, the event is set from 5 to 7 p.m. at 1919 F St.,  It will include talks and demonstrations about honey bees and native bees, interactive art projects, and scores of other activities.

For starters, Friday's event will include a honey bee pheromone exhibit by Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology. Yes, the pheromone emitted by a stinging honey bee does smell like bananas! 

Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, will discuss native bees, including bumble bees, carpenter bees and leafcutting bees. He's one of the country's top experts on native bees.

The Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis, will showcase bee specimens--from the world's biggest to the smallest, with lots of colorful bees in between.

Edward Thomas of the Explorit Science Center will encourage the crowd to engage in a "bee dance" on a floor mat. 

Others participating will be beekeeper Derek Downey of the Davis Bee Charmers; the Bullfrog Bee Farm, which will provide "a taste of honey" and bee displays;  and Julia Lau, Cristina Urrutia and Tiva Lassiter of the Davis Art Center, whose activities range from candle making to bee bundling to beeswax modeling. The Pollinator Partnership also will participate by donating bee bundle materials.

Honey recipes? The National Honey Boardwill provide recipe booklets and children's booklets to take home.  

Those are just some of the activities at this cross-pollinator event.

Bees never looked so good!