The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology has put a unique spin on the classic holiday song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” by including insects in its lyrics. The idea originated in 2010 when Eric Mussen, then a UC Cooperative Extension apiculturist, and department communications specialist Kathy Keatley Garvey noticed that insects were absent from the traditional song, despite their prevalence on Earth.
“Insects make up 75 percent of all the fauna on Earth,” the release notes, pointing out that there are about 10 quintillion insects worldwide, which is vastly more than the human population.
To highlight the importance of insects, Mussen and Garvey replaced “five gold rings” with “five golden bees” and incorporated other insect references throughout the adapted lyrics. The revised version was performed at a departmental holiday party and later gained wider attention after being featured by U.S. News.
The new verses include lines such as: “On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a psyllid in a pear tree,” and “On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me 5 golden bees.”
An additional verse humorously addresses California’s agricultural pests: “On the 13th day of Christmas, Californians woke to see: 13 Kaphra beetles, 12 Diaprepes weevils, 11 citrus psyllids…and a medfly in a pear tree.”
The press release also highlights concerns over invasive species such as Varroa destructor mites, which have been problematic for beekeepers since arriving in the United States in 1987. These mites feed on bee fat body tissue and can transmit viruses that threaten bee populations.
Mussen and Garvey concluded their message with well wishes for the season: “Here’s to a ‘bee-utiful holiday season, and may it ‘bee’ as golden as a golen bee.”
