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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Petting an American cockroach at UC Davis Picnic Day

'R' Is for Roaches at UC Davis Picnic Day

April 13, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 When non-roach aficionados see a cockroach, they may dash for the bug spray or frantically call a pest control company. Or double-stomp or triple-stomp it.Not at the Roach Races, hosted by the UC Davis Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) and held in front of Briggs Hall during the annual…
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Briggs Hall, UC Davis, during Picnic Day.

What's a Picnic Without Bugs?

April 10, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Go, bugs!Are you ready for the bugs?The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) is ready to participate in the 112th annual campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day, set Saturday, April 18. At UC Davis Picnic Days, bugs are not only invited--they're escorted!The ENT "stars of the show" will …
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A patch of wildflowers

Complexities Behind Ecosystem Services

April 9, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Don't miss this UC Davis seminar on the complexities behind ecosystem services. It will be a two-pronged approach: (1) The biological control of a coffee pest in Puerto Rico, and (2) a look at the parasites and viruses in bees in urban gardens along the California coast.Iris Rivera-Salinas, a…
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Potato capsid on a Coreopsis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

One Potato...Two Potato...

April 8, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Ever seen the potato capsid, Closterotomus norvegicus, feeding on the flowers or buds of such plants as potato, carrot, clover, nettles and cannabis? Or, on the buds and flower of fruit?It's a tiny bug, 6–8 mm long, belonging to the order Hemiptera (true bugs), and family Miridae. Native to Europe…
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UC Davis Distinguished Professor Bruce Hammock, 1947-2026, in his office.

EicOsis: 'We Lost Bruce Hammock'

April 7, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 The tributes and remembrances keep flowing--and rightfully so--for internationally celebrated scientist  Bruce Hammock (1947-2026), a UC Davis Distinguished Professor who held a joint appointment with the Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. He died…
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