Honeybee swarm on #7 Fairway Sunday 4/28

(Click photos to enlarge)

Players found a quite a surprise on #7 fairway Sunday morning!  A swarm of honeybees decided to drop down in the middle of the fairway.  Luckily the swarm moved along later in the day.  

Bee swarms are actually common at this time of year, when newly hatched queens leave the nest with a group of workers looking for a new home.

Beware - Attack of the Oak Worms!

This year looks to be one of the worst years I've experienced for California Oak worms.  Some Coast Live Oak trees on the course have been completely defoliated.  Not only are they destructive, they are pretty much just gross.  I'm hoping the worst is over at this point of their life cycle and will they will begin pupating into moths.

Below are a few pics of the worms in unexpected places!

A link to a good resource for information on the worms is listed below :

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7422.html

Stress on Coast Live Oaks

 Below are some examples of stress on the Coast Live Oaks (Quercus agrifolia) this spring.  Most of the leaves on the oaks below have been defoliated by oak worm larvae.  The last photo shows how much these worms can eat. It has been a difficult spring on the live oaks with warm temperatures and record drought.  The trees responded by pushing a lot of energy into flowering, which is unfortunately messy and bad on allergies.

Luckily, these oaks are very resilient to oak worm and can survive multiple defoliations.  It will be interesting to watch how the trees respond as the worms' big spring push comes to an end.

(Click photos to enlarge)

Lupines In Bloom

Some beautiful lupines in bloom left of #7

Soil Sampling Work Behind #1 Green

Cascade Drilling is doing some deep drilling for core samples behind #1 Green.  This is research for part of the University's Ground Source Heat Exchange (GSHE) Project.  The project is part of the larger power plant project.   The GSHE project involves using ground water to exchange heat, potentially saving energy on a campus-wide level.

Samples are being taken for historical nitrate levels in the soil and to determine if they will have any effect on ground water.

The work will take place in two sites along Electioneer Rd., this one, and one site near the tennis courts.  The work is slated to be complete by this Friday 4/19.

Hydrojecting Greens

We're in the process of Hydrojecting greens.  The Hydroject is what the name implies, a machine that injects water.  It does so at very high pressure creating tiny holes that allow air and water to enter the soil profile.  We try to do every green at least three times per year.  You'll have to look very closely to find the pin-sized holes.

This is one of the cultural practices that have allowed us to not core aerate greens over the past 17 years (along with regular sand topdressing.)  That is a phenomenal achievement, one that few experts would ever have believed.

I really like not having to core aerate as a Superintendent, because Poa annua doesn't have a place to take hold.  I like it as a golfer, because the greens are not torn up two or more times per year.

I hope you will be able to get out and enjoy it, we're one of the very few courses in the country that has been able to avoid regular core aeration!