Bug Squad

A daily (M-F) blog launched Aug. 6, 2008 and about the wonderful world of insects and those who study them. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Sea squill (Drimia maritima or Urginea maritima) thrives in the Carolee Shields White Flower Garden and Gazebo, UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Secrets of Sea Squill

September 9, 2020
Honey bees are the first thing you notice about the sea squill (Drimiamaritima or Urginea maritima) in the 100-acre UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.
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These newly eclosed monarchs are raring to leave their butterfly habitats. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Magical 28 Monarchs

September 8, 2020
It's a "Rear-and-Release-Monarchs" project. Since Sept. 1, 2020, we've reared and released 28 healthy monarch butterflies into the Vacaville, Calif., area.
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A Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, laying an egg on Labor Day weekend in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Happy Labor Day from a Gulf Fritillary

September 7, 2020
Happy Labor Day! And what an appropriate time to post an image of a Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, depositing an egg! The females lay their eggs on the tendrils and leaves of the butterfly's host plant, the passionflower vine (Passiflora) but we've seen them depositing eggs on nearby fences whe...
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Boone Vale, a volunteer with the Bodega Bay Fire Department, took this heartbreaking image of a fire reaching the Pope Valley hives of Caroline Yelle, owner of Pope Valley Queens. Yelle credits him for saving some of her hives. (Photo by Boone Vale, used with permission)

The Bee People, The Bees, and The Fires

September 4, 2020
The wildfires that raged through California, crippling and/or destroying beekeepers' homes and their livelihoods are heartbreaking. One victim, Caroline Yelle, owner of Pope Canyon Queens (PCQ), located on 8307 Quail Canyon Road, Vacaville, lost 500 hives.
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