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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. 

A yellow-faced Bombus vosnesenskii, prepares to sip nectar from an English lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Return of Bombus

June 6, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The English lavender drew her in. And there she was, a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, foraging in our family's pollinator garden in Vacaville. She buzzed from blossom to blossom, ignoring the honey bees, syrphid flies and...the photographer. Ms.
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As a third grader, Jill Oberski is stretched out on the floor reading her "Audubon Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America." Another insect publication is within reach.

Myrmecologist Jill Oberski: A Dream Come True

June 2, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Picture this. Jill Oberski is in the third grade, stretched out on the classroom floor reading her "Audubon Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America." Another insect publication is within reach. Fast forward to today: she's Dr. Jill Oberski.
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UC Davis forensic entomologist Robert "Bob" Kimsey answering questions at his "Dr. Death" booth in Briggs Hall during the 2023 UC Davis Picnic Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Don't Miss This Bohart Museum Open House on 'Insects and Forensics'

June 1, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
He's a wealth of information about forensic entomology, and he'll share that with you. Don't miss the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on "Insects and Forensics," featuring UC Davis forensic entomologist Robert Bob Kimsey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
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UC Davis first-year entomology student Kat Taylor (in ant headgear) staffed the arts-and-crafts table at the Bohart Museum open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Colony of Red Ants Roams the Bohart Museum of Entomology

May 31, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
A colony of red ants recently roamed the Bohart Museum of Entomology. They really weren't red ants, but children wearing ant headgear, created during the family arts-and-crafts activity at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house on ants.
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