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)

An illustration from the PNAS paper: Rice infected by root-knot nematodes (stained in red). (Illustration by Shahid Siddique)

Perfect Timing for Publication of Important Research Paper on Root-Knot Nematodes

July 10, 2023

Perfect timing.

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Screen shot from UC Davis Distinguished Professor James R. Carey's teachings.

Tips on How to Write a Research Paper or Term Paper

July 7, 2023

If you're a student in a UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology class taught by UC Davis Distinguished Professor James R. Carey, you'll learn from the pro how to write a research paper or term paper, a requirement in his classes.

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A honey bee packing red pollen as she visits another rock purslane blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Packing the Red Pollen

July 6, 2023

Ever seen a honey bee packing red pollen? Rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora) is one flower that yields red pollen. It's a drought-tolerant perennial, a succulent. But the most striking part is its color: a neon pink that could stop traffic.

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A monarch lifts off from a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ready for the 7th Annual International Monarch Monitoring Blitz?

July 5, 2023

Save the dates! The seventh annual International Monarch Monitoring Blitz will take place Friday, July 28 through Sunday, Aug. 6.

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Do monarchs celebrate the Fourth of July? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Where Are All the Monarchs?

July 4, 2023

Where are all the monarchs? Not in our pollinator garden here in Vacaville. Milkweed? Check. Floral resources? Check. Praying mantids? No. (Haven't seen any, but they're out there!) Birds? Yes. (Nesting California scrub jays eat their fill of caterpillars, mainly Gulf Fritillary 'cats.) Shade? Yes.

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