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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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A bumble bee, identified as a male Bombus californicus, foraging on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble Bees and Tithonia: Perfect Match

July 25, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
A perfect match: a bumble bee foraging on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. Lately we've been observing a bumble bee, identified as a maleCalifornia bumble bee, Bombus californicus, sipping nectar from the colorful orange blooms in our Vacaville pollinator garden. B.
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A male leafcutter bee lands on a spent flower. He is not alone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Good Morning for a Bee

July 24, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's a beautiful morning and life is good. A male leafcutter bee (genus Megachile) drops down on a spent flower in a Vacaville pollinator garden. He's warming his flight muscles, ready to greet the day--and maybe a female of his species. Mr.
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A white-lined sphinx moth, Hyles lineata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Where to Meet Some Lepidopterists and Dipterists--and Learn About Mosquitoes!

July 20, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Moths will grab the spotlight at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house on Saturday, July 22 but besides Lepidopterists (those who study butterflies and moths), attendees can meet and greet dipterists (those who study flies), learn about mosquitoes from the author of a newly published children...
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