Bug Squad

A daily (M-F) blog launched Aug. 6, 2008 and about the wonderful world of insects and those who study them. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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A plenary session at the Society of Nematologists' meeting in Victoria, B.C. (SON Photo)
Bug Squad: Article

Congrats to Our UC Davis Nematologists!

August 20, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Congratulations to our UC Davis nematologists who drew admiration and applause at the 64th annual meeting of the Society of Nematologists (SON), held in Victoria, British Columbia.Doctoral candidate Alison Blundell of the laboratory of associate professor Shahid Siddique, UC Davis…
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Honey bee in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

What's Buzzworthy?

August 19, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 If you missed it, World Honey Bee Day was Aug. 16.But, frankly, it's a day that should be observed every day, not just the third Saturday in August.The celebrated day appears on the National Day Calender as "The day (that) recognizes both the honey bee and the beekeepers who tend the hives. It also…
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Gulf Fritillary in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

The Host Plant Is Just That--A Host

August 18, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 The Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, seems like two different butterflies rolled into one. When it spreads its wings, it's as orange as a pumpkin. When it's resting, it's silver spangled, drawing the same kind of attention as a colorful flag flying in the wind.Its host plant is the passionflower…
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A honey bee nectaring in the UC Davis Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

UC Davis Bee Haven: The Place to 'Bee'

August 15, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 The UC Davis Bee Haven is the place to "bee."If you love bees and other pollinators, love plants, love nature, and love to volunteer, you'll want to head over to The Haven--a pollinator paradise--on Saturday, Aug. 30. It's the last Volunteer Day of the summer, and will take place from 8 to 11:30 a.m…
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A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, waiting for a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Ms. Mantis Missed!

August 14, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
     Yesterday we introduced you to Ms. Mantis, a young Stagmomantis limbata perched on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundiola. She was seeking a “fast food” meal of a bee or a butterfly, but they were much too fast for her.Today we observed her on a different blossom, ready to try…
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