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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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A Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Big Bioblitz Set April 29 at UC Davis: Plants, Animals and More

March 15, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Mark your calendar! A BioBlitz is set from 9 to 11 a.m., Saturday, April 29 in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. It's being hosted by UC Davis doctoral student Grace Horne of the Department of Entomology and Nematology.
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A honey bee, cooped up in a hive for weeks due to the rain and cold, heads for a nectarine blossom in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Where, Oh Where, Can They Bee?

March 14, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The nectarines are bursting into bloom, but where are the honey bees? Well, they're huddled inside their colonies as California storms erupt with a vengeance reserved for politics. The bees venture out...one here...one there...
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