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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. 

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UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Art Shapiro explains some of his research documentation at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on monarchs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Art Shapiro: Sharing Information on Monarch Butterflies

November 13, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Art Shapiro, who's been monitoring the butterfly populations of central California since 1972, discussed his work at the Bohart Museum of Entomology recent open house on monarchs. He points out that he is a Lepidopterist but "not a monarch specialist.
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An enlarged image of a monarch butterfly (by Kathy Keatley Garvey) graced the entrance to the Bohart Museum's open house on monarchs. In back is Bohart associate Mike Pitcairn, retired entomologist from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bohart Museum Open House: A Monarch State of Mind

November 10, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It was a monarch state of mind... Western monarchs are now settling in their overwintering sites along coastal California, but the iconic butterflies showed up in force at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's recent open house--in the form of specimens, photographs, books, maps and displays.
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An image from the Entomological Society of America's website.

'Entomology 2023' Underway: Insects and Influence!

November 7, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
"Entomology 2023" is underway! The annual meeting, hosted by the Entomological Society of America (ESA), is taking place Nov. 5-8 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. The theme: "Insects and Influence: Advancing Entomology's Impact on People and Policy.
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