Dec. 8 , 2008 News Story Design Parameters
 |
| Honey bee on pomegranate. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) |
What is the UC Davis bee-friendly garden?
It’s a half-acre site to be established at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. It will be a living laboratory catering to honey bees and other pollinating insects. It will offer a year-around food source through seasonal blooming plants. As a demonstration garden, it will serve as an example of what to plant to draw pollinators. This will be the first in a series of pollinator gardens at UC Davis.
Who is sponsoring the design competition?
Häagen-Dazs® is sponsoring the nationwide competition and also will provide funds to create the garden. It will be a gift to the UC Davis Department of Entomology.
Who can enter the design competition?
The competition is open to anyone who can create a proposal by using basic landscape design principles. Design submissions for the competition should describe a one-half-acre garden that can be installed for $65,000 or less. Submissions must include a site plan, planting plan, maintenance program and construction cost estimate. Each designer should include plant species that provide forage for honey bees, a bee-accessible water source, and environmentally friendly paths for visitors. More design specifications and lists of bee-appropriate plants are located on the UC Davis Department of Entomology Web site.
Who is coordinating the design competition?
The California Center for Urban Horticulture at UC Davis. More information on the design competition is available from Missy Borel, program manager at the California Center for Urban Horticulture, at (530) 752-6642 or mjborel@ucdavis.edu.
What is the deadline to submit design plans?
California Center for Urban Horticulture must receive the plans by Jan. 30, 2009. Mail plans to the California Center for Urban Horticulture, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean’s Office, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8571.
What is the design prize?
The winning design, to be announced in February 2009, will be implemented, and the winning team will receive on-site recognition on the Häagen-Dazs commemorative plaque located within the garden. In addition, the winner will receive a free year's supply of Häagen-Dazs ice cream and will be included in a 2009 press announcement.
Why are honey bees important?
Honey bees pollinate about 100 U.S. agricultural crops, valued at $15 billion. They pollinate one third of the American diet. However, bee populations are declining due to a mysterious phenomenon known as “colony collapse disorder.” First identified three years ago, the disorder is characterized by hive abandonment. Adult bees abandon the hive, leaving behind the immature brood and food storage. In recent years, the nation's beekeepers reported losing from one-third to all of their bees.
What is the cause of colony collapse disorder?
Bee specialists suspect a multitude of causes, including pesticides, diseases, parasites, stress, climate change and malnutrition.
