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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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Marilyn Sexton of Fairfield, who plants tomatoes every year, asks a question at the UC Master Gardeners table at the Dixon May Fair. Master Gardeners (from left) are Tom Hutson, Julie Smith, and Betty Buxton. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Enthusiastic Team of UC Master Gardeners at Dixon May Fair

May 21, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It wouldn't be a fair without the UC Master Gardeners. If you visited the horticulture building during the Dixon May Fair (the four-day fair traditionally ends on Mother's Day), you probably saw a team of UC Master Gardeners answering questions from fairgoers and handing out literature.
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The yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, emerging from a foxglove in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Celebrating Bumble Bees on World Bee Day

May 20, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's World Bee Day and there's no better time than to showcase bumble bees, Bombus. The United Nations designated May 20 as World Bee Day to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, according to its website.
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UC Davis community ecologist Rachel Vannette (foreground), associate professor and vice chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, answers questions at the UC Davis Picnic Day. In back is doctoral candidate Gillian Bergmann, who is advised by Vannette and Johan Leveau. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bohart Museum Open House on May 19: Meet the Bee Reseachers

May 15, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
From honey bees to bumble bees to mason bees to orchid bees--you'll see those and more--and you'll get the opportunity to talk to researchers at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Sunday, May 19. Free and family friendly, the open house takes place from 1 to 4 p.m.
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