Bug Squad

A daily (M-F) blog launched Aug. 6, 2008 and about the wonderful world of insects and those who study them. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Wide angle shot of a western spotted cucumber beetle, Diabrotica undecimpunctata, chewing a hole in a petal of a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spotted Cucumber Beetles: They Know How to Hit the Spot

August 4, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Western spotted cucumber beetles know how to hit the spot. Make that "multiple spots." These beetles, Diabrotica undecimpunctata, are agricultural pests that feed on roots, seedlings, flowers and foliage. And they can transmit diseases.
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A crab spider administers a fatal bite on a katydid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tough Day for a Tettigoniid on a Tithonia

August 3, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It was a tough day for a Tettigoniid on a Tithonia. When a katydid (Tettigoniid) encountered a crab spider on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in our garden, the katydid didn't last long. The spider administered a venomous bite and it was all over.
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A praying mantis is camouflaged amid the green stems, seed pods and leaves of a native milkweed as she awaits prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Walda: a Master of Disguise, Stealth and Ambush

August 1, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Where's Waldo? If you've ever looked at a Where's Waldo pictorial book and tried to spot a cartoon-like character wearing a red-and-white striped shirt, a bobbie hat, and glasses, you know it's not that easy. Many look-alikes or red herrings populate each page.
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The larvae of the Greater Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella) inside a bee hive. The black dotes are small hive beetles. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

National Moth Week: Here's One Moth that Beekeepers Won't Celebrate

July 29, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
During the 11th annual National Moth Week, one thing's for sure: Beekeepers won't be celebrating the beauty, life cycle, or habitat of the Greater Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella), also known as "the honeycomb moth." It's a major pest of bee colonies that aren't maintained well.
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