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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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The Kimseys--Bob and Lynn--are faculty members, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Bob is a forensic entomologist and Lynn,a hymenopterist, directs the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

How a Newly Described Bacteria Species Became a Kimsey

May 10, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Ever had a bacteria species named for you? No? Well, a newly described bacteria species now carries the last name of a husband-wife team: Lynn and Robert "Bob" Kimsey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
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Students at the Tremont Elementary School, Dixon, created this "Spring Has Sprung" basket of flowers and pollinators as their entry in the Dixon May Fair, May 11-14. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spring Has Sprung: Bees, Butterflies and Blossoms Grace the Dixon May Fair

May 9, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
"Spring Has Sprung!" That's the theme of the 146th annual Dixon May Fair, the 36th District Agricultural Association. It's been a long, cold winter and we're ready for that! So are the exhibitors and fairgoers. When the fair opens Thursday, May 11 and continues through Sunday, May 14 at 655 S.
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