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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. 

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Honey bee pollinating an almond blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

National Honey Bee Day: A Buzzworthy Day, Indeed

August 20, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Hear that buzz? Are you ready for National Honey Bee Day? It's held the third Saturday of August and that's tomorrow. Launched in 2009 by a small group of beekeepers petitioning the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture (USDA), the day basically "honors" honey bees and beekeeping.
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A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, hanging out on a milkweed in Vacaville, Calif. after molting. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Milkweed's New Buddy: It's Not a Monarch

August 19, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Our showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) is putting on a show. The towering plant--a good eight feet--anchors the garden as we patiently wait for monarch butterflies to arrive and lay their eggs.
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Thomas Sparks, recipient of Entomological Association of America's 2021 Nan-Yao Su Award for Innovation and Creativity in Entomology.

Congrats to Tom Sparks, Recipient of ESA's Nan-Yao Su Award

August 18, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Congrats to biological chemist and green pesticide developer Thomas Tom Sparks, winner of the Entomological Association of America's 2021 Nan-Yao Su Award for Innovation and Creativity in Entomology. ESA announced the award today.
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