Bug Squad

A daily (M-F) blog launched Aug. 6, 2008 and about the wonderful world of insects and those who study them. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Insect nets lined up at Briggs Hall during UC Davis Picnic Day.

Through the Wickets for a Win!

June 9, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Entomologists aren't just skilled at netting insects.Some of them do well at croquet,  striking a ball with a mallet and knocking it through a wicket.Question is: Can the Ian Grettenberger lab at UC Davis swing a mallet as well--or better--than an insect net?Agricultural entomologist…
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Pallavi Shakya holding award: first-place winner of “Best Student/Early Career Talk” at the 36th Symposium of the European Society of Nematologists

Congrats, Pallavi Shakya! Well Done!

June 8, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Congratulations to UC Davis doctoral candidate Pallavi Shakya of the lab of nematologist Shahid Siddique, who won “Best Student/Early Career Talk” at the 36th Symposium of the European Society of Nematologists, held June 1-5 in Egmond aan Zee, The Netherlands.Well done! UC Davis is proud of you!The…
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Native bee images on Istagram by Krystle Hickman, author of "ABC's of California's Native Bees"

Krystle Hickman and 'The ABC's of California's Native Bees'

June 5, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 "If you want to find the native bees, look for native plants and vice versa. If you want to save the native bees, save the native plants."So said native bee conservationist and native bee photographer Krystle Hickman, author of The ABCs of California's Native Bees when she addressed a recent Bohart…
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UC Davis bee researcher Felicity Muth speaking at Bohart Museum of Entomology open house.

Felicity Muth: 'No One Way to Be a Bee'

June 4, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 UC Davis bee researcher Felicity Muth educated the crowd, including adults, children and teens, about native bees at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's recent open house on  "Buzz Words: Insects in Literature."Muth is the author of the highly acclaimed children's book, "Am I Even a Bee?"--about an…
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A native bee, Lasioglossum, on rock purslane. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bee-Hind the Scenes

June 3, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Who were the "worker bees" bee-hind the scenes who organized the highly successful Bohart Museum of Entomology open house,  "Buzz Words: Insects in Literature," that featured displays,  hands-on activities, and three speakers? The "worker bees" were three UC Davis Entomology Graduate…
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