Bug Squad

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.

A tiny monarch egg. Image taken on Nov. 14, 2023 in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Monarchs on the Move...So Many Mysteries

November 21, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Monarchs on the move...so many mysteries. Where do Western monarchs go after leaving their overwintering sites along coastal California in February? An observation: They didn't stop in the spring or summer to deposit eggs on any of our four species of milkweed in our Vacaville pollinator garden.

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UC Davis alumnus Murray Isman is a dean emeritus of the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Land and Food Systems.

Meet an Outstanding UC Davis Doctoral Alumnus: Murray Isman

November 20, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Meet UC Davis doctoral alumnus Murray Isman, who has just received monumental recognition. Isman is listed as No.

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UC Davis doctoral students Iris Quayle (left) of the Jason Bond lab and Mia Lippey of the labs of UC Davis distinguished professor Jay Rosenheim and assistant professor Emily Meineke, show some of the EGSA T-shirts. Lippey serves as EGSA president, and Quayle as treasurer.

Insect and Arachnid-Inspired T-Shirts Are All the Fashion

November 17, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Love insects and arachnids? Members of the Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology design insect and arachnid-themed T-shirts that are all the fashion.

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A dorsal view of a syprhid fly sunning itself on a leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Syrphid Flies Are Pollinators, Too

November 16, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Sometimes overlooked as pollinators are the syrphid flies, also known as "hover flies" or "flower flies." Unfortunately, they are often mistaken for honey bees. Hey, if it's a critter on a flower, it's a bee, right? Not necessarily! Syrphid flies are easily distinguished from honey bees.

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French evolutionary biologist Etienne GJ Danchin

Amazing World of Nematodes: 'Parasitic Success in Absence of Sex'

November 15, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Would you like to learn more about nematodes--specifically, "Parasitic Success in the Absence of Sex: What Have We Learned from Nematode Genomes?" French evolutionary biologist Etienne GJ Danchin will discuss that topic at a seminar on Monday, Nov.

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