Bug Squad Logo

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. 

Primary Image
Native bee images on Istagram by Krystle Hickman, author of "ABC's of California's Native Bees"

Krystle Hickman and 'The ABC's of California's Native Bees'

June 5, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 "If you want to find the native bees, look for native plants and vice versa. If you want to save the native bees, save the native plants."So said native bee conservationist and native bee photographer Krystle Hickman, author of The ABCs of California's Native Bees when she addressed a recent Bohart…
View Article
Primary Image
UC Davis bee researcher Felicity Muth speaking at Bohart Museum of Entomology open house.

Felicity Muth: 'No One Way to Be a Bee'

June 4, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 UC Davis bee researcher Felicity Muth educated the crowd, including adults, children and teens, about native bees at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's recent open house on  "Buzz Words: Insects in Literature."Muth is the author of the highly acclaimed children's book, "Am I Even a Bee?"--about an…
View Article
Primary Image
A native bee, Lasioglossum, on rock purslane. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bee-Hind the Scenes

June 3, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Who were the "worker bees" bee-hind the scenes who organized the highly successful Bohart Museum of Entomology open house,  "Buzz Words: Insects in Literature," that featured displays,  hands-on activities, and three speakers? The "worker bees" were three UC Davis Entomology Graduate…
View Article
Primary Image
Queen bee and worker bees in a hive.

An International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy

June 2, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Interested in pollinator biology, health and policy? We all should "bee."Professor Michelle Flenniken of Montana State University (MSU), is chairing an International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health, and Policy 2026 that is set June 25-27 in the Strand Student Union Building, Bozeman. …
View Article
Primary Image
Close-up of tadpole shrimp. (Photo by Ian Grettenberger)

IPM Challenges in Alfalfa and Rice

June 1, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 UC Davis doctoral candidate Madison "Madi" Hendrick, scheduled to receive her doctorate in entomology in June, will present her exit seminar on "Integrated Pest Management in California Field Crops: Challenges in Alfalfa and Rice" on Friday, June 5.Her seminar is set for 10 a.m. in 366 Briggs Hall, UC…
View Article