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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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UC Davis Professor Phil Ward delivered a presentation on "All About Ants" at the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day/Month on Feb. 20. It is now on YouTube. Photos are by Alex Wild. (Screen shot)

Professor Phil Ward: Our Friends, the Ants

March 3, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you missed the family-friendly seminar on ants by UC Davis Professor Phil Ward on Feb. 20 during the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day/Month, not to worry. "All About Ants II" is posted on YouTube at https://youtu.be/d8eRNsD8dxo.
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A monarch caterpillar and a honey bee sharing tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, in the summer of 2020 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Winter Monarchs: Thankfully, They're Out There

March 2, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Thankfully, they're out there. Butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, spotted a female monarch butterfly at 1:35 today. As he mentioned in his email: "So, at 1:25 p.m.
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A winter monarch caterpillar munching on the remnants of milkweed on Jan. 23 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Perseverance Prevailed

March 1, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Perseverance prevailed. The third instar monarch caterpillar we found munching on the remnants of our cut-back milkweed on Jan. 23 in Vacaville, Calif., is now an adult butterfly fluttering around the neighborhood.
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A honey bee foraging on manzanita in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis-Based Projects: To Bee or Not to Bee?

February 26, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
To bee or not to bee? That's a crucial question as the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day/Month, Honey Bee Haven and the California Master Beekeeper Program scramble for funds between now and Sunday, Feb. 28. That's when the UC Davis-authorized crowdfunding drive ends.
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