'Going Buggy' at the Fair

May 3, 2011

County fairs are known for cotton candy, corn dogs and cool treats.

But some--such as the 136th annual Dixon May Fair in Solano County--have bugs!

When the fair opens Wednesday, May 4 at 655 S. First St., the Floriculture Building will house gorgeous flowers...and gorgeous bugs.

The Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, part of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, is providing for public viewing: a bee observation hive; posters offering facts about honey bees and native bees; and macro photos of honey bees.

The bee observation hive is where you can see the queen bee laying eggs, the workers tending to the brood, and drones walking around, being fed by their sisters. If you're lucky, you'll see a retinue of workers surrounding the queen as they fulfill her every need.

Also in the Floriculture Building, the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis will be displaying mounted butterfly and other insect specimens.

The fair opens at 10 a.m. daily through Sunday, May 8, Mothers' Day.


By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Author - Communications specialist

Attached Images:

Bee observation hive shows a queen and her court. (Photo by  Kathy Keatley Garvey

Bee observation hive shows a queen and her court. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Kathy Hicks of Dixon, superintendent of the Floriculture Building, displays insects from the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Kathy Hicks of Dixon, superintendent of the Floriculture Building, displays insects from the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)