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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"Walda" snares a bee, probably a leafcutter bee, in a patch of milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Where's Walda?

September 9, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
You've probably read the children's book, "Where's Waldo?" Waldo wanders around the world, gets lost in the crowd or scenery, and it's your job to find him. Where'd he go? If you have a praying mantis in your yard, you probably play "Where's Waldo?" a lot. In our yard, it's "Walda.
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A male long-horned bee, Melissodes agilis, targets a honey bee nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. This was shot with a shutter speed set at 1/5000 of a second. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close Encounter of a Long-Horned Bee and a Honey Bee

September 8, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
So, here you are, a honey bee nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. All's right with the world, at least in your world. You're sipping nectar to take home to your colony and suddenly...a buzz.
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A Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, manages to fly despite a huge chunk missing from her wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Who Dunnit?

September 7, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Interviewer: "Hey, Gulf Fritillary! What happened to you? Something take a chunk out of your wings?" Miss Gulf Frit: "I dunno. I was just fluttering around the passionflower vine and something grabbed me." Interviewer: "Do you have any idea what happened?" Miss Gulf Frit: "Sorry, no.
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Welcome to the world! A lady beetle, aka ladybug, emerges from its pupal case. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Becoming a Lady Beetle, aka Ladybug, on Labor Day

September 6, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you're an entomologist, an agriculturist, a gardener or an insect enthusiast, you've probably seen the life cycle of a lady beetle, aka ladybug: from the egg to the larva to the pupa to the adult.
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A spider executes Plan Bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This Spider Went for Plan Bee

September 3, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The spider failed to snag a butterfly, so it went for Plan Bee. That would be the honey bee, Apis mellifera. The bee is usually foraging for nectar and pollen and not that aware of her surroundings, especially a cunning and very hungry spider.
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