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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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These are two of the crocheted triceratops crafted by UC Davis animal biology major Jakob Lopez. He will hide them on UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, set Saturday, Feb. 10.

Find a Dinosaur at UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day!

February 2, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Who loves dinosaurs? And who especially loves triceratops, the dinosaur with that three-horned face that lived 66 to 68 million years ago in North America? Measuring about 26 to 30 feet long, it weighed 5.59.9 short tons, according to Wikipedia.
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Professor (and now retiree) Lynn Kimsey (seated), former director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, is honored at a birthday celebration on Feb. 1. With her from left are doctoral student Iris Quayle of the Bond lab; Professor Jason Bond, newly selected director of the Bohart Museum; and entomology researcher Tom Zavortink of the Bohart. (Photo by Tabatha Yang)

'The Girl in the Red Boots' Has Retired

February 1, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
"The Girl in the Red Boots" has retired. That would be UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology from 1990 until yesterday, Jan. 31, 2024. Today, Feb.
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A fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, feeding on a banana. (Photo by Sanjay Acharya, Wikipedia)

Orie Shafer: Researching the Sleep of a Fruit Fly

January 31, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Did you know that the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a powerful model organism for the study of sleep regulation? It's long been a model organism for biological research in such fields as genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis and life history evolution.
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Approximately 50 million Americans (20 percent of the population) suffer from chronic pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Good News About Chronic Pain Relief That Began with Caterpillar Research

January 30, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Good news! EicOsis Human Health LLC, the Davis-based pharmaceutical company developing a non-narcotic drug to relieve chronic pain and inflammation, today announced the next step in its ongoing human clinical trials: the initiation of Phase 1b to test the safety of its drug candidate, EC5026.
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A portrait of a lady beetle, aka ladybug. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Ladybug: Luck Be a Lady?

January 29, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's not often that entomology and football mesh. But that was the case when San Francisco 49'ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk credited his spectacular 51-yard catch in Sunday's NFC championship game with the Detroit Lions to a ladybug landing on his shoe before the game.
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