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.

A honey bee in flight, heading for a Phacelia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Professor Irene Newton: Inside the Honey Bee Gut

May 8, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

"The honey bee gut is home to varied and diverse bacterial species," says Professor Irene Garcia Newton of Indiana University, Bloomington, who studies host-associated microbes.

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A squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa, pollinating a squash. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Pollination Ecologist Neal Williams: The Importance of Native Bees

May 5, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Did you know that California is home to more than 1600 species of undomesticated beesmost of them nativethat populate and pollinate our gardens, fields, and urban green spaces?--Source: California Bees and Blooms, a Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists.

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Honey bee geneticist Robert E. Page Jr. examining a swarm.

Honey Bee Geneticist Rob Page Launches YouTube Channel: Fascinating World of Bees

May 4, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

If you're interested in bees--as a scientist, beekeeper or just as an enthusiast--you'll want to access the newly launched YouTube Channel of internationally acclaimed honey bee geneticist Robert E. Page Jr., a UC Davis alumnus and an emeritus administrator at UC Davis and Arizona State University.

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Pollination ecologist and professor Neal Williams, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will speak on "Native Bees and their Conservation"at 10:30 a.m., May 6 on the UC Davis Speakers' Stage at the California Honey Festival. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Check Out the UC Davis Speakers' Stage at the California Honey Festival

May 3, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

What a line-up! Amina Harris, director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, has organized a fantastic group of speakers for the UC Davis Speakers' Stage at the California Honey Festival, set Saturday, May 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Woodland. The event is free and family friendly.

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Amina Harris, director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, and co-founder of the California Honey Festival, talks about honey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

California Honey Festival: The Place to 'Bee' on May 6

May 2, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The California Honey Festival is the place to "bee" on Saturday, May 6 in downtown Woodland. The festival, free and family friendly, takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event celebrates the importance of bees, and promotes honey and honey bees and their products.

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