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 youth checks out the moth displays during a recent Bohart Museum of Entomology Moth Night. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What Will You See at Bohart Museum Open House

July 21, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

What will you see at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house from 7 to 11 p.m., Saturday, July 22? The event, "A Night at the Museum," is free and family friendly.

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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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Entomologist Jeff Smith, the curator of the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart Museum, displays a drawer of tropical butterfly specimens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

'A Night at the Bohart Museum' to Celebrate Moths and Other Insects

July 19, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

What are the main differences between moths and butterflies? That's a question frequently asked at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, especially during National Moth Week, which this year takes place July 22-30.

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The UC Davis Shahid Siddique lab excelled at the international Society of Nematologists' 62nd annual meeting, held in Columbus, Ohio. Pictured with Siddique are doctoral students in his lab. From left are Ching-Jung Lin, Veronica Casey, Pallavi Shakya and Alison Coomer Blundell, all award winners.

Shahid Siddique Lab Shines at International Society of Nematologists' Meeting

July 18, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Congrats to the lab of nematologist Shahid Siddique, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, for excellent presentations at the 62nd annual meeting of the Society of Nematologists (SON), held July 9-14 in Columbus, Ohio: Alison Coomer Blundell, who will be a fourth-year doctoral candidate...

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As temperatures soar, feral honey bees engage in bearding to reduce the heat load inside. These bees are in a sycamore tree on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bee Bearding in California's Excessive Heat

July 17, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Have you read the excessive heat warnings and the guidelines to prevent heat illnesses as triple-digit temperatures hold us hostage in Yolo and Solano counties and elsewhere?. UC Davis Safety Services related this week: Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

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