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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. 

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A crab spider dining on a bee on a blanketflower, Gallardia. Everyone eats in the garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close Encounters of the Eight-Legged Kind

June 24, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Those who know that spiders have eight legs know exactly what's being showcased at the UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology open house, "Eight-Legged Encounters," on Saturday, June 25. Spiders and other arachnids. And you're invited.
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A striking garden spider, as seen through a fisheye lens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Jason Bond: A Deep Appreciation for Arachnids

June 23, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
"For some people, spiders can be at the same time fascinating and frightening. The helpful friend who caught that fly buzzing around your kitchen, and the pest that scared you in the shower.
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A male long-horned bee, a Melissodes agilis, targets a Gulf Fritillary on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Target: A Gulf Fritillary

June 21, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
So here's this Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. It's National Pollinator Week. All's right with the world. The butterfly had visited a passionflower vine, Passiflora, its host plant. Now for a little fuel. The nectar is enticing.
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After spending the night sleeping on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, a male longhorned bee, Melissodes agilis, starts to stir. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What's on the Day's Agenda for This Longhorned Bee?

June 20, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Hey, the sun's up! It's time to rise and shine! Maybe I'll shine before I rise...or maybe I'll... Anyway, I just woke up, and I'm starting to stir. I'm ready to conquer the day. I shall Sip nectar Seek girlfriend Guard the flower patch by dive-bombing and chasing off all critters. Repeat.
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