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. Feedspot lists it as one of the top entomology blogs on the Internet.

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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A spotted-wing drosphila, Drosophila suzukii, targeting a raspberry. Native to Southeast Asia, it infests soft-skinned fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches and grape. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Christine Tabuloc's Seminar: Inside Her Intricate Research World of Drosophila

February 13, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

(Editor's Note: Her exit seminar is here) Remember the spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii? Native to Southeast Asia, it infests soft-skinned fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches and grapes.

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A scene from one of the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Days at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. The 12th annual is Feb. 18. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day: The Countdown Begins!

February 10, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's beginning to look a lot like...UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day! The 12th annual event, set Saturday, Feb. 18 on the UC Davis campus, will showcase 11 museums or collections.

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How much do you know about ants? Members of the Phil Ward lab will discuss ants and answer questions at the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. Here carpenter ants (Camponotus semitestaceus) nest in a Vacaville park. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Got an Ant Question? Ask Away at UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day

February 9, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Got a question about ants? Or other insects? By popular demand, ant specialists (myrmecologists) from the Phil Ward lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will answer questions at the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, set Saturday, Feb. 18.

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UC Davis distinguished professor Art Shapiro spotted two cabbage white butterflies today (Feb. 8) in West Sacramento, Yolo County. These weren't them. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bingo! First Cabbage White Butterfly of the Year!

February 8, 2023

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

In between the rain and the cold, UC Davis distinguished professor Art Shapiro of the Department of Evolution and Ecology has been searching in vain for the first white cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae) of the year.

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