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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Spotted-wing drosophila on raspberry. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Todd Holmes, Light and Insect Behavior

February 27, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 If you're interested in the latest research on light and insect behavior, you'll want to attend the seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology on Wednesday, March 4 in 122 Briggs Hall, UC Davis, or watch it on Zoom.Todd Holmes, professor of physiology and biophysics at the…
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Leafcutter bee on rockrose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

You, Too, Can Plant a Pollinator Garden

February 26, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 When Samantha "Sam" Murray, education and garden coordinator of the UC Davis Bee Haven, took the stage last Saturday during the 15th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, her talk on "Creating Your Own Pollinator Garden" drew rapt attention."Pollinator populations are changing," Sam told the crowd…
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Root-knot nematodes in tomato roots

What's a Nematode?

February 25, 2026
 If you missed the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day Speaker Series on Saturday, Feb. 21 in the Sensory Theatre of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, 392 Old Davis Road, Doctoral candidate Pallavi Shakya in San Francisco, not to worry.The series, featuring introductory information…
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Addie Abrams at the microscope

Addie Abrams, Ph.D to Be, to Present Exit Seminar

February 24, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 What new technologies can you use to control aphids and thrips in California lettuce?Adelaine "Addie" Abrams,  who will receive her doctorate in entomology at the end of the UC Davis quarter,  will present her exit seminar on "Same Pests, New Tricks: Precision Technologies for Integrative…
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Scaptomyza flava in The Netherlands. (Photo by Dick Belgers, Wikipedia)

Diet Detoxification in Insects

February 23, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 An evolutionary ecologist who studies the impacts of a plant diet on insects and their microbiomes, will discuss her research at the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminar on Wednesday, Feb. 25.  Evolutionary ecologist and UC Davis alumna Jessica M. Aguilar, a National Science…
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