Show Me the Honey--And They Did!

Graduate student Yao Cai of the Joanna Chiu lab holds a honey-coated toothpick in each hand. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

That was a popular refrain at the 103rd annual UC Davis Picnic Day, held Saturday, April 22.

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology showed thousands of folks the honey at its Briggs Hall exhibit, "Honey Tasting."  The line stretched out the door and into the lobby as eager folks--from pre-schoolers to senior citizens--waited for samples and an opportunity to talk to the scientists.

The crowd liked the meadowfoam honey the best, followed by citrus.

It was a team effort. Student scientists left their labs to staff the honey tasting table. Okay, they made a "bee line" there. In between handing out toothpicks coated with honey, they conversed with the public, answering questions about honey, bees, and beekeeping. One participant asked "What's good about honey?" Other questions included "How are the bees?" and "How can I become a beekeeper?"

It wasn't just about the honey. Scores of other insect-related events also took place at Briggs Hall (maggot art, cockroach races, and displays featuring ants, mosquitoes and bees, in addition to forensic, aquatic, and forest entomology. 

Meadowfoam honey proved the most popular of the honeys sampled. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Chairing the department's Picnic Day Committee was graduate student Brendon Boudinot (Phil Ward lab), an ant specialist seeking his doctorate in entomology.

Now for the good news: two of the department's exhibits were up for special awards--honey tasting at Briggs Hall, and the multiple displays at the Bohart Museum.

The results were announced today. The honey tasting exhibit, coordinated by Extension apiculturist Elina Niño, won the popular vote in its category, "Hungry Fix."

How sweet it is!

Fittingly, the theme of this year's UC Davis Picnic Day was "Growing Together." The annual event, drawing in surrounding communities, is really one gigantic open house, and a time to "come and experience the richness of diversity and achievement" of the university in "the areas of research, teaching service and campus life," organizers said.

Here's who won the special exhibit awards, as announced by exhibits coordinator Helen Xiu:

Best in Show:

• Harry Potter and the "Try"-Physics Tournament

Fun with Crafts:

• DNA and Bioluminescence

Arts and Humanities:

• The Joy of Writing: The University Writing Program Creates Fun with Words!

Hunger Fix

• Honey Tasting

Secrets of Nature

• Explore the Tree of Life

Congratulations to all! They were all special!

Speaking of special, mark your calendars to learn more about bees, honey and beekeeping:

• The inaugural California Honey Festival, coordinated by Amina Harris, director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, will take place Saturday, May 6 in downtown Woodland. It's billed as a fun-filled day of honey, mead, music, beekeeping talks, kids' activities and more. Free and open to the public, it promises to be both fun and educational.
  
  
• The third annual UC Davis Bee Symposium: Keeping Bees Healthy is Sunday, May 7. It's sponsored by the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center and the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. This is a "must" if you're keeping bees or want to do so--or if you just want to learn more about bees. Keynote speaker is noted apiculturist Steve Sheppard of Washington State University, Pullman, Wash. Registration is underway.
  
  
• The Western Apicultural Society (WAS), launched at UC Davis 40 years ago, will return to its roots for a conference Sept. 5-8. President of WAS (this is his sixth term) is co-founder Eric Mussen of UC Davis, Extension apiculturist emeritus. The organization is specifically designed to meet the educational needs of beekeepers in the United States but is open to anyone throughout the world.  Registration will soon be underway. Check the website for more information.