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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 alumna Emily Bzdyk with the 15-million-year-old fossil skull of a dolphin she found at Chesapeake Bay, Calvert County, Maryland

Emily Bzdyk: Entomologist, Biologist, Paleontologist

August 15, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's not every day you find a 15-million-year-old skull of a dolphin. Leave it to an eagle-eyed entomologist accustomed to searching for elusive bees to find it. Emily Bzdyk, who holds a master's degree in entomology from UC Davis, is making national headlines, but not about insects this time.
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A predator, a praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbatalimbata, waiting for prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Three Key Dates to Add to Your Calendar

August 14, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, has announced the themes of its fall open houses: Sunday, Aug. 27: Praying Mantises Saturday, Sept. 23: Household Vampires Saturday, Nov. 4: Monarchs The open houses, free and family friendly, take place from 1 to 4 p.m.
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A bindweed turret bee, Diadasia bituberculata, foraging for pollen on bindweed, aka morning glory. (Photo by Rachel Vannette)

The Glory of the Bindweed Turret Bees

August 11, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you've ever seen the nests of the bindweed turret bees, Diadasia bituberculata, and if you've ever tried to photograph these fast-flying bees, you know how speedy they are and how difficult they are to photograph.
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A female monarch flutters into a Vacaville garden on Aug. 10 and checks out the narrow-leafed milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

And Just Like That, A Monarch Fluttered into Our Garden

August 10, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
And just like that, a female monarch butterfly fluttered into our Vacaville pollinator garden this morning, Aug. 10, and left a dozen or so calling cards: precious eggs. We earlier saw a male monarch patrolling the garden on the morning of July 23, but he left to go find the girls.
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UC Davis distinguished professor Diane Ullman (right) and assistant professor and urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke taught the class.

A Mural Like No Other

August 9, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The Secret Life of Vineyards depicts what you may never see: the life that inhabits a vineyard. A UC Davis team created the insect-themed ceramic-mosaic mural that was recently installed at the Matthiasson Winery, 3175 Dry Creek Road, Napa.
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