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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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A painted lady, Vanessa cardui, flutters away in this prize-winning work of artist Roberto Valdez. He won best of show in the professional fine arts category, oils and acrylics, at the 2021 Dixon May Fair.

Art Imitating Life or Life Imitating Art?

May 10, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Does art imitate life or life imitate art? Oscar Wilde opined in his 1889 essay, The Decay of Lying: An Observation, that "Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life." It's up for discussion. Take the painted lady butterfly, Vanessa cardui.
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A queen bee (No. 58) and her retinue. This image is from Susan Cobey's colony.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

If a Queen Bee Were to Celebrate Mother's Day...

May 7, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If a queen bee were to celebrate Mother's Day (and she won't because she's too busy laying eggs), what a crowded festivity that would be. Bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey of Washington State University, former manager of the Harry H.Laidlaw Jr.
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Like to learn secrets of making mead from award-winning mead makers? The UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center will host a two-day course May 21-22 on "Mead: Getting Creative." (Image courtesy of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center)

Mead Makers: Groundbreakers, Risk-Takers, and Trendsetters

May 6, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
They're described as "groundbreakers" and "risk-takers" and "trendsetters." They're known for their creativity. What they do, however, does not involve correcting social injustices, breaking ceilings in workplaces or pushing the latest fashions, as the descriptive adjectives might indicate.
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