CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : RIVERSIDE : Bee Habitat Will Be Bulldozed

A bee habitat can be bulldozed to make way for construction of a federal laboratory at the University of California campus here, federal wildlife officials decided. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service accepted a plan to make up for damage to the bee habitat caused by construction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Salinity Lab, university officials said Wednesday. Groundbreaking for the lab, one of only a few in the world dedicated to studying the problem of salt buildup in agricultural soils, is set for Oct. 26, said UC Riverside spokeswoman Kathy Barton. To compensate for plowing under about 2 1/2 acres of the bee’s favorite food plant, the vegetation will be added to the lab’s landscaping.