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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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UC Davis Chancellor Gary May congratulates the California Master Beekeeper Program. With him are co-program managers Wendy Mather and Kian Nikzad. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Tip of the Bee Veil to the California Master Beekeeper Program

September 15, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a colony of honey bees to show us how to divide the labor and work well together. And if you're part of the UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP), it takes a lot of worker bees from all facets to succeed.
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A monarch butterfly nectars on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifola) in a Vacaville pollinator garden on Sept. 3, 2023. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Monarchs on the Move

September 14, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
For the past 13 days, monarchs have fluttered in and out of our Vacaville garden, nectaring on the Tithonia and zinnia. They are a beautiful sight.
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Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito. (Photo courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Household Vampires Want Your Blood

September 13, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
What do you think of when someone mentions "household vampires?" Fleas? Ticks? Bed bugs? Mosquitoes? Yes! The Bohart Museum of Entomology will host an open house, themed "Household Vampires," from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept.
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A painted lady, Vanessa cardui, touches down next to a male monarch, Danaus plexippus, on a pink zinnia in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oops! Wrong Species, Wrong Gender

September 12, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
So here's this male monarch nectaring on a pink zinnia in a Vacaville pollinator garden. The nectar is rich and he is as hungry as a migrant butterfly seeking flight fuel for the long journey ahead.
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A newly eclosed male monarch spreads its wings. In the back is a female. Both eclosed on Sept. 5 in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

WSU-Tagged Monarchs May Be Heading Your Way

September 11, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Seen any tagged monarchs lately? If you live in California, tagged monarchs from the migratory research project of entomologist David James of Washington State University may be heading your way. One tagged monarch, a male, fluttered into our Vacaville pollinator garden on Sept. 5, 2016.
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