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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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Bright red strawberries

What You Should Know about 'Berries Vs. Bugs'

April 3, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 If you want to learn more about strawberry pests, don't miss this UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminar.UC Davis doctoral alumnus Mohammad Amir Aghaee, the entomology program leader at the California Polytechnic University Strawberry Center, will discuss "Berries vs Bugs: Challenges…
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UC Davis Distinguished Professor Walter Leal on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by T.J. Ushing)

UC Davis Scientist Spotlighted in 'Antenna'

April 2, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 You could say that UC Davis Distinguished Professor Walter Leal, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (RES), is being treated "royally."He's featured in the RES publication, Antenna, Volume 50, celebrating the organization's 50th year.  Jozsef Vuts, a chemical ecologist with…
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Syrphid fly on flower

April Fool! It's a Syrphid Fly!

April 1, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 It's April Fool's Day and a good time to ask: "How many of you have been fooled thinking a syrphid fly is a bee?"To the untrained eye, everything that lands on a flower is a bee! However, syrphid flies, also known as hover flies or flower flies, are easily distinguished for honey bees:Syrphid…
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Honey bee eclosing

'The Little Things That Run the World'

March 31, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 "The little things run the world," mused entomologist, biologist, naturalist and ecologist E. O. Wilson (1929-2023).He was referring to "the disproportionate role that they and other invertebrates play in food webs, ecosystem services, and generating and maintaining biological diversity," according to…
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Lygus bug chewing on a yellow rose bud. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This Bud's Not for You

March 30, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Hey, lygus bug, that bud's not for you!Our yellow rose bushes, "Sparkle and Shine,"  purchased in May of 2013 at the California Center for Urban Horticulture (CCUH) Annual Rose Day at the University of California, Davis, are budding and blooming again.The roses usuually bud and bloom in late…
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