Bug Squad - Agriculture and Natural Resources Blogs (2024)

Rob Page: The Student, The Professor, The Scientist, The Administrator, The Legend

• Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey

Robert E. Page Jr.Internationally known honey bee geneticistRobert E. Page, Jr.is spotlighted in the current issue of American Entomologist inMarlin E. Rice's popular Legends feature.

Titled "Robert E. Page, Jr.: The Spirit of the Bee," it's a great article chronicling his life, his love of bees, and his massive number of achievements. Rice captured it well.

Rob, a native of Bakersfield and now 74, received his doctorate in 1980 from UC Davis, studying with major professorNorman Gary and doctoral research mentorHarry H. Laidlaw Jr.He advanced to professor and chair of the Department of Entomology (now the Department of Entomology and Nematology). A second career emerged when Arizona State University (ASU) recruited him.

Today Page holds the titles of ASU University Provost Emeritus and Regents Professor Emeritus as well as UC Davis Distinguished Emeritus Professor and Emeritus Chair of the UC Davis Entomology Department.

Page is known for his research on honey bee behavior and population genetics, particularly the evolution of complex social behavior. One of his most salient contributions to science was to construct the first genomic map of the honey bee, which sparked a variety of pioneering contributions not only to insect biology but to genetics at large.

Page pioneered the use of modern techniques to study the genetic basis of social behavior evolution in honey bees and other social insects. He was the first to employ molecular markers to study polyandry and patterns of sperm use in honey bees. He provided the first quantitative demonstration of low genetic relatedness in a highly eusocial species.

He is "arguably the most influential honey bee biologist of the past 30 years," his peers say.

At UC Davis, Page worked closely with Laidlaw. Together they published many significant research papers and the landmark book, “Queen Rearing and Bee Breeding” (Wicwas Press, 1998), considered the most important resource book for honey bee genetics, breeding, and queen rearing.

For 24 years, from 1989 to 2015, Page maintained a UC Davis honey bee-breeding program, managed by bee breeder-geneticist Kim Fondrk. Their contributions include discovering a link between social behavior and maternal traits in bees. Their work was featured in a cover story in the journalNature. In all,Naturefeatured his work on four covers from work mostly done at UC Davis.

Page authored two books:The Spirit of the Hive: The Mechanisms of Social Evolution(Harvard University Press, 2013) and theArt of the Bee: Shaping the Environment from Landscapes to Societies(Oxford University Press, 2020). In 2023, he launched a publicly accessibleYouTube Channel,https://youtube.com/@artofthebee.

UC Davis Professor Emeritus Norman Gary.In the Legends' piece, Page described his major professor, UC Davis Professor Emeritus Norm Gary as "an excellent" bee behaviorist. "I got assigned to the bee lab with Norm Gary, an excellent bee behaviorist. I was out in the field one day and metHarry Laidlaw. He had just retired. I told him I was really interested in genetics and breeding, and how can I learn it. He gave me things to read. He showed me how to do artificial insemination. We did projects together. I did some breeding theory, and he was writing a new book on queen rearing and wanted to make recommendations about breeding, but he had no theory to back it, so I did the theory because I was interested in population genetics. Harry became a mentor whereas Norm Gary was my major professor."

When Rice asked Page "Who was the most influential person in your education," Page replied: "Today, all my research approaches, the way I thought about things, everything I did I can point back to four people. Norm Gary taught me the importance of knowing behavior and having good behavioral assays. He was superb at it. Nobody knows better what bees will do than Norm Gary,but he doesn't care much about why they do it. Which then brings me to my training in evolution from Tim Prout, who was an evolutionary biologist and population geneticist. He taught me population genetics, which I use to develop a population way of thinking about the work that I do. Harry Laidlaw taught me the value of breeding and the value of attention to detail. When we wrote papers together, we went over every word. Harry believed that every word had to be there for a reason. Every word had to be right. Robert A. Metcalf, an incredible guy, really turned me on to social insects, and got me interested in using molecular and biochemical markers. Everything I did for the rest of my career came from those four people."

This week we asked Gary, now 90, what it was like to have Rob as his graduate student.

In a June 17th email,Gary wrote:“When I first met Rob Page at the beginning of his graduate studies, I was immediately impressed that he was a very exceptional student in all respects! He was enthusiastic about insect behavior, especially honey bee behavior. I became his major professor. His fascination with behavior soon evolved into behavioral genetics. Consequently, I encouraged him to conduct his graduate research under the direction of Harry Laidlaw whose research program focused on honey bee genetics."

"Rob and I shared several bee research projects, one of which involved research on honey bees to determine if insects would be adversely affected by exposure to microwaves from solar power satellites that were under consideration as a future source of energy for mankind. Rob excelled in all activities. His enthusiasm was contagious! He richly deserves the many rewards he has received during his career, especially for his superior skills in research, teaching, and leadership in every facet of the academic world.”

You may know Norm Gary as not only a professor, scientist, musician, and author but one of the world's most incredible professional bee wranglers. He used to wear full-body bee suits and play the b-flat clarinet. (See BugSquad blogof Nov. 30, 2016). He once trained bees to fly into his mouth to collect food from a small sponge saturated with his patented artificial nectar. He holds the Guinness World record (109 bees inside his closed mouth for 10 seconds) for the stunt.

It's all about The Bees for Rob Page and Norm Gary.

It's always been about The Bees.

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Introduce Your Children to Insects

• Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey

Daphne Shuman, 7, loves insects. She visited the Bohart Museum twice in one day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)How can you interest your children in insects?

"For me, at least a lot of my interest developed when my parents gave me a net and a butterfly picture book and then gave me enough independence to explore on my own," recalls UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Lynn Kimsey, who served 34 years as director of the BohartMuseum of Entomologybefore stepping down on Feb. 1.

"Today parents seem to schedule every minute of theirkid's day with scheduled activities," Kimseysaid, "and this simply doesn't allowkidsto explore, and use their imaginations."

So true. Kids are naturally curious. When they see lady beetles, akaladybugs, they check out what they're doing, what they're eating (a menu of aphids and other soft-bodied insects), and how they take flight.

You can ask them questions: What do you think that is? What is it doing? Can you describe it? Do you want it to be your friend? Why or why not? Do you want to write a poem about it? Do you want to photograph it?

They quickly learn that everything eats in the garden. They can watch a honey bee foraging for nectar and pollen, and then get nailed by a praying mantis. Ditto the butterfly. One minute a butterfly is sipping nectar, and the next minute, it's snared in a spider web.

And they never forget metamorphosis: how a butterfly egg magically transforms into a caterpillar, the caterpillar into a chrysalis, and then an adult butterflyeclosesfrom that chrysalis. "Magic" and "miracles" occur right before their eyes!

A great example of the natural curiosity of children occurs every year on the UC Davis campus during the "Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work." Mom and Dad show youngsters where they work, and also visit other workplaces. One of the highlights is theBohartMuseum of Entomology

For the BohartMuseum staff and volunteers, it's a good opportunity to engage in science communication or sci-com.TabathaYang, education and outreachcoordinator organizes the open houses and leads the team. At the recent event, the science communicators included doctoral student EmJochimof the Jason Bond lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology; Oliver Smith, a UC Davis entomology student;psychology major Naomi Lila of the UC Davis Entomology Club;SydBenson, a high school intern from Met Sacramento; and animal biology majorJakobLopez wearing a quite appropriate"Have a Nice Day" shirt.

Tabatha Yang (right), the Bohart Museum's education and outreach coordinator, with high school intern Syd Benson of Met Sacramento. She just completed her internship. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)He did and they did.

Everly Puckett, 3, was there with her father, Ryan Puckett with Facilities Management. She wasn't sure she wanted to hold any insects (Madagascar hissing co*ckroaches and stick insects) from the petting zoo but her dad encouraged her to touch a stick insect, aka walking stick.

Ten-year-old Mark Blankenship eagerly helda thorny stick insect. His dad, Mark Blankenship, works for Supply Chain Management.

Eight-year-old Hunter Baker was super interested in the insects and wanted to know more about them. His mother, Kate Schaul, works in security at the UC Davis Library.

Sebastian Carrasco, 3, whose mother Nadia works in UC Davis Health, attended with his father, Lizandro. When asked if he wanted to hold an insect, Sebastian hid behind his father. Then he shook his head and said "Bye, Bye!" to the insect. Clever and creative!

Daphne Shuman, 7, whose mother Amy Shuman, works for Students Affairs, loved the BohartMuseum. In fact she loved it so much she attended the event twice, in the morning and in the afternoon.

Mark Blankenship, 10, peered closely at a stick insect crawling on a hand. His father, Mark, works for Supply Chain Management.

Atlas Scott, 4, attended with his motherDanielle Hoskeywho works for UC Davis Health. He decided he'd rather not become acquainted with the stick insects, but he did hold a tomato hornworm.

Bottom line: they will all remember that day at the BohartMuseum, a day when they were encouraged to look, touch and hold an insect.

And, quite likely, many may enroll in college entomology courses and some may seek entomology as a career.

The BohartMuseum, home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens (plus a gift shop and petting zoo), is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 CrockerLane. Summer walk-in hours are Tuesdays, June 17-Aug, 27, 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4:30 p.m. The museum will be closed to the general public from Sept. 1-Sept. 22.

Director is Professor Jason Bond,the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in the Department of Entomology and Nematology. He's also associate dean of agricultural sciences for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

The next open houses are:

Saturday,July 20: Moth Night at the Museum (inside and outside activities) 7 to 11 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28: Museum ABC's: Arthropods, Bohartand Collecting, 1 to 4 p.m.

All open houses are free and family friendly. Parking is also free. For more information, contact the BohartMuseum at bmuseum@ucdavis.edu. or call (530) 752-0493.

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Applause for the Pollinators

• Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey

Bees, butterflies, beetles, birds and bats.

What do they have in common? Skipping the alliteration for a moment, they're all pollinators.

Honey bees grab the most attention, of course, and they do the bulk of the work. But so do bumble bees and other native bees.

But other pollinators include moths, hummingbirds, wasps and flies (especially the syrphid flies, akahover flies or flower flies often mistaken for honey bees by the untrained eye.)

The National Park Servicedescribes pollination as "anything that helps carry pollen from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female part of the same or another flower (stigma). The movement of pollen must occur for the plant to become fertilized and produce fruits, seeds, and young plants. Some plants are self-pollinating, while others may be fertilized by pollen carried by wind or water. Still, other flowers are pollinated by insects and animals - such as bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, birds, flies and small mammals, including bats."

"At least 75 percent of all the flowering plants on earth are pollinated by insects and animals," they point out on their website. "This amounts to more than 1,200 food crops and 180,000 different types of plants—plants which help stabilize our soils, clean our air, supply oxygen, and support wildlife."

One pollinator that absolutely takes our breath away is the Western tiger swallowtail,Papilio rutulus, especially when it touches down on the colorful Mexican sunflower,Tithoniarotundifola, and begins to nectar.

If you're lucky, you'll see different species sharing the same blossom.

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James R. Carey: 44-Year Career at UC Davis

• Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey

UC Davis distinguished professor James R. Carey, a 44-year careerIt's not often that an entomologist chalks up a 44-year career of teaching, research and public service.

But such is the case with UC Davis distinguished professorJames R. Carey.

A member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty since 1980, he was one ofseven retiring or retired faculty membershonored at a retirement event on June 11 at the UC Davis Alumni Center.

"A giant in our department" and "a scholar in every sense of the word."

That's how UC Davis distinguished professor emeritusFrank Zalomcharacterized him.

Carey, who holds a joint appointment as a senior scholar in the Center for theEconomics and Demography of Aging at UC Berkeley, is internationally known not only for his research in insect biodemography, mortality dynamics, and insect invasion biology but for his groundbreaking teaching program that centers on the strategic use of digital technology.

He is retiring this month.

In his five-minute allocated speech, Zalom, an integrated pest management specialist and a past president of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), noted that Carey developed much of his highly cited work on cohort life tables early in his career. "This led to his highly regarded work on biodemography and longevity that are widely recognized across many scientific disciplines beyond entomology. He is a scholar in every sense of the word."

"Jim's career long attention to invasive species, and in particular, his challenges to the dogmatic approach taken by regulatory agencies to their detection and eradication," Zalom said. "He has framed his challenges in the concept of invasion biology. He has urged the agencies to base their approaches on the entirety of available data and has taken it upon himself to thoroughly compile and analyze data on the occurrence of tephritid fruit flies in the United States as a prime example."

"Jimhas been one of the giants of our department during the last 44 years, and I hope that he will continue to engage in his intellectual pursuits as an emeritus professor," Zalom concluded.

Highly honored by his peers, Carey is a fellow of four professional societies: ESA, American Association for the Advancement of Science, California Academy of Sciences, and the Gerontological Society of America. When ESA elected him afellowin 2011, the organization described him as "the world's foremost authority on arthropod demography" and that he "is the first entomologist to have a mathematical discovery named after him by demographers – the Carey Equality — which set the theoretical and analytical foundation for a new approach to understanding wild populations."

Carey holds two degrees from Iowa State University: a bachelor's degree in fisheries and wildlife biology (1973), and master's degree in entomology (1975). He received his doctorate in entomology from UC Berkeley in 1980, the same year he joined the UC Davis faculty. As a doctoral student in 1978, he worked in the laboratories of population biologistsRichard LewontinandRichard Levinsat Harvard University.

UC Davis distinguished professor James R. Carey addresses his students. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Carey is a former director (2003-13) of an 11-university consortium funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIH/P01) on the evolutionary ecology of lifespan. The 10-year, $10 million federal grant on “Aging in the Wild,” encompassed 14 scientists at the 11 universities.

Carey co-authored the book“Biodemography: An Introduction to Concepts and Methods”(Carey, J. R. and D. Roach. 2020; Princeton University Press), hailed as the “definitive textbook for the emerging field ofbiodemography, integrating biology, mathematics and demography.” To supplement the book, Carey created a free-access, video guidebook witha playlistof 175 separate presentations, subtitled in 300 different languages. It can be accessedon the UC Berkeley Population Sciences website athttps://bit.ly/3FTge7u.

Carey earlier authored three books, Demography for Biologists(Oxford University Press 1993), "Longevity" (Princeton University Press, 2003), andLongevity Records: Life Spans of Mammals, Birds, Amphibians and Reptiles(Odense, 2000), as well as more than 250 journal articles and book chapters.

Internationally Recognized Teacher. An internationally recognized teacher, Carey was named a semi-finalist for the 2017 Baylor University Robert Foster Cherry Teaching Award (an international competition). He received ESA's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2014, after winning the 2014 distinguished teaching award from the Pacific Branch, ESA (PBESA). Another highlight was receiving PBESA'sC. W. Woodworth Awardin 2013. PBESA covers 11 Western states, plus parts of Mexico and Canada, and U.S. territories.

Carey developed a technological-savvy teaching program, a groundbreaking model for 21st Century instruction using short, concise videos. In so doing, he taught faculty, staff and students how to create succinct videos, and how to record seminars. All are geared toward ease of learning and increased knowledge retention.

Carey became interested in the use of digital technology in academia when he chaired the UC Academic Senate University Committee on Research Policy. He subsequently described a framework or “road map” for using video capture of seminars to increase research synergy across the 10 UC campuses. The University of California TV station, UCTV, then used this publication as a roadmap for creating the video platform,UCTV Seminars. The website has tallied more than 10 million seminar downloads.

Longevity Course. Carey taught an upper division undergraduate course titled "Longevity" (fall quarter and summer session), based on biodemographic concepts in both non-human species and humans. He also offered seminars and workshops on best practices in visualization concepts and presentation strategies, including a weeklong course annually to PhD fellows in Kampala, Uganda enrolled in the 9-university Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA).

Another honor he received was theUC Davis Academic Senate's Scholarly Public Service Award. In the nomination package, his colleagues praised him for carving "impressive milestones in biodemography, research, teaching and outreach during his 40-year professional career, not only raising the profile of entomology nationally and internationally, but serving as an entomology ambassador to scientists in a wide range of disciplines, particularly demography and gerontology."

Some of his accomplishments:
One-Minute Entomology. Carey innovated the concept of the “one minute expert” by launching student-produced videos that are 60 seconds in length. He and UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey (now emerita) engaged their students in producing more than 125 videos, and in the process, learning insect identification, succinct writing and speaking, best practices for slide presentation, peer review and teamwork.

How to Make an Insect Collection. Carey taught undergraduate and graduate students how to gather information and produce short videos for “How to Make an Insect Collection.” The award-winning project, considered by ESA as the best of its kind on the internet, includes a playlist of 11 short videos showing different aspects of insect collecting--from use of nets and hand collecting to pinning mounting and labeling.

Basics of Term-Paper Writing. His students have continually won the top awards at the UC Davis-sponsored Norma J. Lang Prize for Undergraduate Information Research in the category of Science, Engineering and Mathematics (SEM). One of his students has won first place in the SEM category in each of past five years.Five others have won either second or third place honors.

"A giant in the department, a scholar in every sense of the word."

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Jay Rosenheim: Exemplary Teacher, Mentor and Researcher

• Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey

UC Davis Distinguished Professor Jay Rosenheim. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)"Jay Rosenheim joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty in 1990. He received his bachelor of science degree from UC Davis in 1983 with a double major in entomology and genetics, and his doctorate in entomology from UC Berkeley in 1987. He completed postdoctoral work at the University of Hawaii, 1987-1989, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Israel from 1989 to 1990."

I posted that on May 21, 2009 when Jay--now UC Davis Distinguished Professor Jay Rosenheim--won the first of many teaching awards spearheaded by his students.

He'll soon be UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus. He's retiring at the end of June after 34 years with the Department of Entomology and Nematology(ENT).

The department won't be the same without him.

Rosenheimspecializes ininsect ecology, integrated pest management, and biological control, and the use of farmer-generated data to enhance pest and crop management ('Ecoinformatics'). He is internationally known for his research on the ecology of insectparasitoidsand predators, insect reproductive behavior, and the application of big data, orecoinformatics, methods in agricultural entomology.

And he was among the seven retiring or newly retired ENT faculty members honored on June 11 at a department-sponsored event at UC Davis Alumni Center.

Professor Louie Yang said it well at the event.

"I've known him for 24 of those years and having seen just a little bit of how much he has done for students, colleagues, and the university in each of those years, it is deeply humbling to reflect upon his cumulative career-long contribution to science and mentorship."

"I've come to see that there are many ways to be a professor," Yang continued. "Jay's way has long been characterized by creative scholarly achievements, thoughtful and intentional contributions to agriculture, an intuitive feel for his organisms and a natural intuition for the quantitative side of ecology. I've also had a chance to witness and benefit from Jay's commitment to mentorship up close. Jay has provided mentorship to students and faculty alike, and I've benefited from both. His mentorship is characterized by good judgment and empathy; he is quick to forgive mistakes and genuine in celebrating your successes. On our campus, he's provided leadership of a quiet doing kind, often working behind the scenes to make important things happen and to provide a calming and moderating influence in challenging times."

Jay Rosenheim speaking to a colleague at a meeting of the Entomological Society of America in 2009. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)"I've now come to see that there are lots of ways to retire. Many of our colleagues retire gradually, some almost imperceptibly. And thank goodness that we have more time to spend with them --it is genuinely wonderful to be able to draw upon the wisdom of emeritus faculty on campus. But Jay is following his own path in retirement, one that has been characterized by the same thoughtful, deliberate and certain approach that characterized his time as a professor."

Yang concluded with "I will sorely miss having Jay as a colleague. But I want to end with a heartfelt thanks. Thanks for all you've done for us over the many years, and for passing the baton. We wish you all the best on the road ahead."

A native of Yorktown, N.Y, young Jay developed an interest in biology while exploring the vernal pools behind his Hudson River Valley home.As an undergraduate at UC Davis,he initially majored in physics. "On a lark" he enrolled in Professor Harry Kaya's Entomology 100 course in 1981.The professor inspired him, the class enthralled him, and insects captivated him.

Rosenheim's career has not only led to his being elected a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, but recipient of teaching awards from the Associated Students of UC Davis and the UC Davis Academic Senate; the Distinguished Student Mentoring Award from ESA's Pacific Branch and the campuswide Graduate Program Advising and Mentoring Award.

Rosenheim co-founded and co-directs thecampuswideResearch Scholars Program in Insect Biology(RSPIB) with Professors JoannaChiu(now chair of the department)and Yang. The program aims to provide "undergraduates with a closely-mentored research experience in biology," according to the website. "Because insects can be used as model systems to explore virtually any area of biology (population biology; behavior and ecology; biodiversity and evolutionary ecology; agroecology; genetics and molecular biology; biochemistry and physiology; cell biology), faculty in the program can provide research opportunities across the full sweep of biology. The program's goal is to provide academically strong and highly motivated undergraduates with a multi-year research experience that cultivates skills that will prepare them for a career in biological research."

Rosenheimis the kind of professor who ignites, inspires and supports you. He recently reflected on his role: "The job of a professor is quite diverse, and quite rewarding in different ways. Teaching in aclassroom provides instant gratification, as you see the light of understanding andexcitement shining in students' eyes as they explore and grasp new concepts. Research inthe laboratory provides instead delayed gratification, where long periods of hard work--sometimes years--may pass before questions are answered and one feels the satisfactionof pushing forward the margins of scientific understanding."

"But, perhaps the most lastingsense of accomplishment comes from mentoring graduate students," Rosenheimrelated. "Building relationshipswith graduate students, watching them grow in their skills and confidence and, finally,seeing them establish themselves in their careers, provides the kind of reward that is similarin some ways to the happiness that parents derive from their children. And therelationships never end--they are bonds that last a lifetime.I think the key to effective mentorship is to place the student's welfare at the top of one'spriority list. So, drafts of papers should be returned promptly with constructive suggestions,and not allowed to languish in a long queue of manuscripts waiting for reviews--more seniorcolleagues can wait, if someone needs to wait."

We owe a debt of gratitude to UC Davis Distinguished Professor Jay Rosenheim, exemplary teacher, mentor and researcher, and wish him well in his retirement.

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