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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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Giant silkworm moth showed up at Joel Hernandez' backlighting display in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.

Look What Showed Up at Moth Night!

July 21, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 "No way!"That's what entomologist Joel Hernandez said when a giant silkworm moth fluttered into his backlighting setup on Saturday night, July 18 during the annual Bohart Museum of Entomology Moth Night. For the occasion, Hernandez, a UC Davis alumnus and agricultural inspector in the Yolo County…
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Town Square clock in downtown Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Stop Permanent Daylight Saving Time

July 20, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Wise words.Circadian biologist Joanna Chiu, newly elected president of the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (SRBR) and professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, today issued a statement on the Sunshine Protection Bill, recently passed by the House of…
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This radar scan of a July sunset in Oklahoma skies shows moths flying.

Learn About Moth Migration at Bohart Museum's Moth Night

July 17, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 UC Davis PhD student Peter Coggan will discuss moth migration at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Saturday, July 18. The event, free and family friendly , takes place from 7 to 11 p.m. in the Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC…
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A dead honey bee in a showy milkweed on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Bees, The Trap, The End

July 16, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 "It's a trap, a floral trap."That's what we wrote in a 2020 Bug Squad blog."If you've never seen this, this is how it works: milkweed produces pollinia, a sticky structure or packet of pollen grains originating from a single anther (male part). During the flower's complex pollination process, the mass…
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Honey bee with pollinia on its legs (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey Bees and the Milkweed Trap

July 15, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Have you seen honey bees stuck and dying in the elaborate pollination system of milkweed? Have you ever wondered about the ecological consequences? Is the presence of dead bees a deterrent to future visitors, such as honey bees (Apis mellifera) and non-Apis visitors? Do the dead bees result in an…
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