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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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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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The Bohart Museum of Entomology's live petting zoo draws scores of visitors. Here a youngster gets acquainted with a stick insect, aka walking stick. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Of Bugs and Plants and Eagles...and More...

February 7, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Of bugs and plants and eagles...and more... The 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, set Saturday, Feb. 18 on the university campus, will feature 11 museums or collections in what is billed as a "Super Science Day.
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Entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum's Lepidoptera collection, holds a drawer of monarchs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Monarchs at the Bohart Museum of Entomology

February 6, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
When visitors flock to the 11 museums or collections during the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 18 and stop at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, they'll see scores of displays, including the colorful monarch butterflies.
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