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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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The burying beetle is known for burying carcasses of small vertebrates, such as mice, squirrels and birds, and using them as a food source for its larvae. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

'Beetle Mania' at the Bohart Museum of Entomology on Jan. 22

January 11, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
There's "Beatlemania" and then there's "Beetle Mania." One involved the fanaticism directed at the English rock band, The Beatles. The other? It's taking place Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis.
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Pollinator enthusiast Ria de Grassi of Davis confers with UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) at a Bohart Museum of Entomology open house in 2017. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ria de Grassi Wins the Bumble Bee Contest!

January 9, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Congratulations to UC Davis alumna and pollinator enthusiast Ria de Grassi of Davis, who spotted and photographed the first bumble bee of the year in the two-county area of Yolo and Solano to win the third annual Robbin Thorp Memorial First-Bumble-Bee-of-the-Year Contest.
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