Bug Blog
How Far North Will This Mosquito Species Go in California?
It's all over the news...the Aedes aeypti, the daytime-biting mosquito that predominantly feeds on humans. The species has spread to at least seven counties in California since June 2013,...
The Aedes aegypti mosquito. (Photo courtesy of CDC)
Shades of Shirley Temple, Maybe?
Shades of Shirley Temple, maybe? A curly haired tarantula at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis could have been named for...drum roll..Shirley Temple. The curly haired tarantula, or...
Exchanging a curly haired tarantula at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Entomology graduate student Ziad Khouri (right) supervises a visitation with a curly haired tarantula. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Story Behind This Bumble Bee Pollen Load
What a treat to find not one--but five yellow-faced bumble bees (Bombus vosnesenskii) foraging on a rosemary hedge on Valentine's Day. Feb. 14 was a perfect day for foragers, as the temperature...
Yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, packing a mixed load of pollen from the flowers near her. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The mixed pollen load is highly visible here: the female Bombus vosnesenskii is foraging on rosemary, but her load indicates she previously visited California golden poppy, oxais, wild radish and mustard. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Coming in for a landing--a bumble bee ballet. This is the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Got 'em!
"Got 'em!" That's the message we've all been waiting for. Several of us bumble bee enthusiasts--Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, photographers Allan Jones...
Bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, foraging in manzanita on Feb. 12. (Photo by Allan Jones)
Bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, takes flight over a manzanita on Feb. 12. (Photo by Allan Jones)
An early Bombus sighting! Photographer Allan Jones of Davis grabbed this shot of a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, in manzanitas on Feb. 12. (Photo by Allan Jones)
How Many Overwintering Monarchs in California?
There's good news and not-so-good news about the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count in California. Last December the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation released preliminary figures. Now...
Monarch butterfly feeding on milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Monarch and a honey bee sharing a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male monarch on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)