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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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UC Davis distinguished professor James R. Carey has written numerous research articles on the Mediterranean fruit fly.

Medfly Invasion Crisis in California: What Should Be Done?

May 31, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
During the initial throes of the Mediterranean fruit fly invasion in California, protesters disagreeing with the California Department of Food and Agriculture's eradication procedures and policies used to sing the catchy tune, "There Ain't No Bugs on Me," the work of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman.
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A katydid nymph, its long threadlike antennae upright, descends a stem in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Katydid Nymph Did

May 30, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The katydid nymph did. It did appear in May. The UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) tells us that katydid nymphs appear in our gardens in April or May. This little nymph was right on time, barely, as it surfaced in our Vacaville garden on May 28.
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Mediterraneanfruitfly

Why California's Fruit Fly Invasion Is in a Crisis Mode

May 29, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
A noted authority on California's tropical fruit fly invasion says the state is in "crisis mode." "It's really serious," says UC Davis distinguished professor James R. Carey, a noted authority on the invasion of tropical fruit flies.
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This image won "best feature photo" from the international Association for Communication Excellence (ACE). It appeared on the Bug Sauad blog. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC ANR Communicators 'Ace' Awards Competition

May 28, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Six communicators with the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) won major awards from the international Association for Communication Excellence (ACE), a professional organization that supports and showcases science communication in agriculture, natural resources, and life and human science...
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Monarchs frequently show up in the Garvey garden during Memorial Day weekend. This year was no exception, but this image wasn't taken during the 2024 Memorial Day weekend. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Memorial Day 2024

May 27, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Today, Memorial Day 2024, we pay tribute our fallen soldiers, and those who served, survived, and struggled home.
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