Bug Squad

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.

The Wonders of a Bumble Bee on Westringia

March 6, 2017

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's mid-February and early morning in Vallejo, Calif. Westringia is blooming along a walking path near the Glen Cove Marina. Suddenly out of no where, there's a flash of yellow and black. A black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, buzzes by our camera and heads for the Westringia. Good choice.

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Why Circadian Timing Is Everything

March 3, 2017

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

(Editor's Note: Joanna Chiu will be featured on Capital Public Radio's "Insight with Beth Ruyak" from 9 to 10 a.m., Tuesday, March 7. See http://www.capradio.

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Who Lives in the Hive? This 11-Year-Old 4-H'er Can Tell You!

March 2, 2017

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Who lives in a honey bee hive? Eleven-year-old Lexi Haddon Mendes of the Vaca Valley 4-H Club, Vacaville, who has been keeping bees for five years, can tell you.

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If You're a Grad Student Doing Pollination Research at a California University...

March 1, 2017

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

If you're a graduate student engaged in pollinator-related research at a California university, it might pay to present your research poster at the third annual UC Davis Bee Symposium, set Sunday, May 7 in the UC Davis Conference Center.

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Steve Sheppard: Keynote Speaker at UC Davis Bee Symposium

February 28, 2017

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Do you know how to keep your bees healthy or do you want to learn more about bees? Registration for the third annual UC Davis Bee Symposium, "Keeping Bees Healthy," set Sunday, May 7 in the UC Davis Conference Center, gets underway on Wednesday, March 1.

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