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)
A male metallic green sweat bee, Agapostemon texanus, foraging on iceplant on Nov. 5 at a Bodega Bay's Doran Beach. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

A Metallic Green Surprise at Bodega Bay

November 12, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
A Nov. 5th trip to Bodega Bay's Doran Beach yielded a metallic green surprise. What was that foraging on a pink iceplant blossom near a path to the ocean? A metallic green sweat bee, Agapostemon texanus, also called an ultra green sweat bee. We usually don't see A.
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Lt. Robert Washino (front left) served as a medical entomologist in the Korean War, seeing duty with the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps from 1956 to 1958.
Bug Squad: Article

A Salute to a Special Veteran, Medical Entomologist Robert Washino, 88

November 11, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's Veterans' Day and what better day than today to salute noted medical entomologist Robert Washino, 88, a U.S. Army veteran? When you say "Thank you for your service," that not only means his service in the Korean War, but his entire career in medical entomology. Dr.
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UC Davis doctoral student Clara Stuligross by her blue orchard bee nests in the spring of 2018. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis Research: A Double Punch to the Blue Orchard Bee

November 9, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
In a first-of-its-kind study, UC Davis research shows that the double punch of pesticide exposure and food scarcity drastically affects the reproduction of the blue orchard bee, Osmia lignaria, a wild bee known for pollinating early spring bloom, including almonds.
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