Bug Squad

It's definitely going to be quite a memorable year for the Western monarch butterflies--memorable as in "record low populations at the overwintering sites along the California coast.

In the era of #fakenews, add #predatoryjournals. What are "predatory journals?" Entomologist Matan Shelomi defines them as those that "appear legitimate, but practice no peer review, no editing, not even a reality check.

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's weekly virtual seminars resume Wednesday, Dec. 2 with a program on nematodes, or "roundworms.

If the year 2020 "bugged" you, you're not alone. It certainly did the insect museum, the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis.

Gulf Fritillaries in November? Yes! Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae) are still active here in Solano County, on those warm, sunny afternoons that defy the season. They're still hanging around their host plant, Passiflora (passionflower vine), "looking for love" (thank you, Johnny Lee).