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. Feedspot lists it as one of the top entomology blogs on the Internet.

Bob Peterson: 'That's Not Normal for Any Insect'

April 1, 2021

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

If you missed entomologist Robert Peterson's outstanding virtual seminar on "Tigers in Yellowstone National Park: Adaptations of Insects to Extreme Environments," presented March 31 to the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, not to worry. It's on YouTube at https://youtu.

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Honey bees head into their home in the the bell tower of the Epiphany Episcopal Church, Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

'Bee Man' Norm Gary Weighs in on 'Blessed Bees in the Bell Tower'

March 31, 2021

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

You've heard of "bats in the belfry," right? Well, how about "bees in the bell tower"? The Epiphany Episcopal Church of Vacaville, Calif., has just that: bees in its bell tower. (See Bug Squad blog, Blessed Are the Bees.

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Yellowstone white tiger beetle. (Image courtesy of Yellowstone National Park, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Are There Tigers in Yellowstone National Park? Listen to Bob Peterson's Seminar

March 30, 2021

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

(Editor's Note: See this March 31st seminar on YouTube at https://youtu.be/z85B0NlmizU) Are there tigers in Yellowstone National Park? Yes, tiger beetles. They live in the thermal pools, are one of the fastest animals on earth and in size, can fit on your thumbnail. Robert K. D.

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The honey bees swarmed last week to the entrance to the Epiphany Episcopal Church, Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Blessed Are the Bees

March 29, 2021

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Blessed are the bees. When honey bees swarmed last week at the entrance to the Epiphany Episcopal Church in Vacaville, the site seemed quite fitting. Biblical references to bees and honey, such as "the land of milk and honey," abound. Blessed are the bees.

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UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock in his office in Briggs Hall. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Why Do Some COVID-19 Patients Recover and Some Don't?

March 26, 2021

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The statistics are staggering, shattering and incredibly sad. Of the more than 30 million cases of COVID-19 in the United States, 547,000 people have died.

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