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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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This framed photo of an image, once belonging to the late Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen, shows an ancient rock painting from Zimbabwe. A beekeeper is using a smoker.

In Celebration of the Bees

November 11, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
When Extension apiculturist emeritus Eric Mussen (1945-2022) was cleaning out his office in Briggs Hall, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, in the fall of 2021, he gifted me with a framed image of an ancient rock painting from Toghwana Dam, Zimbabwe, southeast Africa.
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The arts-and-crafts activity at the Bohart Museum's dragonfly open house was a popular site. In the back (at left) is noted dragonfly expert Rosser Garrison of Sacramento. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Day That Dragonflies Sprang to Life

November 10, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Dragonflies sprang to life in dazzling colors during the family arts-and-crafts activities at the recent Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on "Dragonflies Rule!" While dragonfly experts fielded questions from guests, over at the arts-and-crafts table, children and their families eagerly colored...
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Noted dragonfly expert Rosser Garrison shows a slide of Cora semiopaca at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bohart Museum Open House: Dragonflies Rule!

November 9, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Dragonflies rule! That was the theme of the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 6, and dragonflies do just that--they rule. They don't just rule in the water as larvae and in the air as adults.
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Larry Snyder's monarch photography display in the hallway opposite the entrance to the Bohart Museum of Entomology, Academic Surge Building.

Monarch Photography Display Graces Bohart Museum Hallway

November 8, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Just before you enter the Bohart Museum of Entomology (located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building at 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus), the hallway display of monarch butterfly images will grab your attention.
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