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Bug Squad

Bug Squad blog image depicts a honey bee sting in action.

Welcome to the Bug Squad blog! The Bug Squad blog was launched Aug. 6, 2008 and is a daily blog (Monday through Friday). It showcases entomologists and the work they do.  The blog focuses on scientists in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, the Bohart Museum of Entomology, Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, the UC Davis Bee Haven, and assorted campuswide events, including UC Davis Picnic Day, UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, and Bohart Museum open houses. The blog spotlights insects, including bees, butterflies, dragonflies, and praying mantises, as well as arachnids such as jumping spiders and crab spiders. Author and photographer is Kathy Keatley Garvey, communications specialist, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and a longtime journalist and community scientist with two degrees from Washington State University.  She is a member of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) and the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE). Her blog posts and images have won international awards from ACE and ESA and appeared on journal and magazine covers. She shoots primarily with a Nikon Z-8 mirrorless camera, a Nikon D500 and Nikon 800, with assorted macro lenses. Feedspot lists it as one of the top entomology blogs on the Internet. 

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"Beetlelady" Stephanie Dole taking a photo of an insect.
Bug Squad: Article

The Bohart, Bugs, and the 'Beetlelady'

September 3, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Mark your calendar: you'll want to attend the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Sunday, Sept. 20.It's from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis, and it's free and family friendly."Beetlelady" Stephanie Dole, a UC Davis alumna, veteran science…
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A Eristalinus taenliops, a species of hoverfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

To Bee Or Not to Bee

September 2, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Who am I?In her children's book--"Am I Even a Bee?"--UC Davis bee researcher Felicity Muth, associate professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, writes about an Osmia bee, aka orchard mason bee, that wonders if she is a bee.Well, a visitor to…
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Monarch resting in nectarine tree. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

She Was Number Eight

September 1, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 So there she was, as the day drew to a close, tucked in a patch of African blue basil in our pollinator garden.She was barely visible,  but the European wool carder bees, leafcutter bees, honey bees and syrphid flies knew she was there."Our patch! Our patch! Our patch!" The permanent residents…
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Shah Alam of the Amanda Hodson lab

Nematodes, Tomatoes and Challenges

August 31, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 If you're curious about nematodes and tomatoes and the scientific research involved, be sure to head to the UC Davis campus on Friday, Sept. 4 to hear master's degree candidate Shah Alam of the Amanda Hodson lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, present his exit seminar on "Management…
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Lady beetle larvae eating aphids. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Who Knew This About Aphids?

August 28, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 For decades, we've watched oleander aphids infest our milkweed.Like many folks, we grow milkweed for the monarchs, but aphids insist on having their share, too.  Guess who's coming to dinner? Aphids. Guess who's NOT invited? Aphids. Guess who's coming anyway? Aphids.Fast forward to the…
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