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.

Doctoral candidate Danielle Rutkowski, who studies bumble bees, won a President's Prize in her category. This was her second consecutive President's Prize.

From A (Ants) to B (Bumble Bees) And More...

November 21, 2022

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Congratulations to four outstanding young entomologists from the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology--all PhDs to be.

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A syprhid fly and a Gulf Fritillary sharing a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Friday Fly Day: A Syrphid Fly and a Butterfly

November 18, 2022

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's Friday Fly Day and time to post a syrphid fly with a butterfly. The occasion: a syrphid fly and the Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) or passion butterfly are sharing a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, and neither seems bothered that the other is there.

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A female carpenter bee, Xylocopa sonorina, also known as the Valley carpenter bee, forages on showy milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. This is one of the bees that the Rachel Vannette lab studied. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Innovative Research by RSPIB Scholar: Surprising Find About Carpenter Bees

November 17, 2022

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

When Professors Jay Rosenheim, Joanna Chiu and Louie Yang of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology launched the Research Scholars Program in Insect Biology (RSPIB) to give undergraduates closely mentored research experiences in biology, the innovative projects have simply been outstan...

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The UC Davis Entomology Games Team of doctoral candidates: Madison Hendrick, Jill Oberski, Erin "Taylor" Kelly and Zach Griebenow. (Photo by Geoffrey Attardo, UC Davis faculty)

Congrats, UC Davis Bug Team!

November 16, 2022

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

"In 1973 Dr. David Gibby of the Washington State University Extension Center started a program to meet the demand for urban horticulture and gardening advice, which has since expanded to all 50 states and 8 Canadian provinces.

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Bohart Museum laboratory assistant and artist Brittany Kohler worked on the "Birdwing Butterfly" display in late October. In back are Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart, who spread all the wings; and collections manager Brennen Dyer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Art at the Bohart: The Work of Francisco and Brittany

November 15, 2022

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Art is part of the Bohart. Talented artists continually create stunning work at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, directed by Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology (who herself worked as a scientific illustrator under her maiden name, Lynn Siri).

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