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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 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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A lady beetle, aka ladybug, munches on an aphid, as another aphid looks as if it's waiting its turn to be eaten. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

All Hail the Lady Beetles!

September 1, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Step right up, folks! I'm a lady beetle, aka ladybug, and it's lunch time. Or maybe it's snack time, I don't know. I don't talk when my mouth is full. What I do know is this: aphids are tasty and they line up to be eaten.
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This hornworm is feeding on a pepper plant. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Hornworms Are Not Your Friends

August 30, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you love tomatoes, you probably hate hornworms. Frankly, the garden's not big enough for both of you, and one of you has to go. It's not you. It's the hornworm.
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