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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. 

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Got an ant question? From left are members of the Phil Ward ant lab at UC Davis: doctoral candidates Jill Oberski and Zachary Griebenow, and third-year doctoral student Ziv Lieberman. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day: A Great Time to Talk Ants

February 20, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
How did you spend your Presidents' Day weekend? Well, if you were high school student Ziya Akmal, he journeyed--by car--nearly 400 miles from his home in Los Angeles to attend the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 18 on the University of California, Davis, campus.
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Nematologist Shahid Siddique explains some of the display items during a previous UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Don't Miss the Nematodes at UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day

February 17, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Don't miss the nematodes at the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 18. The daylong event, known as a "Super Science Day"--and free and family friendly--will showcase 11 museums or collections. It's an opportunity to ask questions and chat with the scientists.
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A honey bee foraging on a flowering quince. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bee My Valentine!

February 14, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Bee my Valentine! Did the honey bee ever say that to a pink flowering quince? Probably not. But she did buzz over there for some nectar and pollen. What's buzzworthy this week--among other topics--is the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. The 12th annual event, set all day Saturday, Feb.
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