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)
This wasp, a species of Podalonia, flies off a tropical milkweed at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden with a load of pollinia, a packet of sticky golden pollen grains. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Pollinia: Like Having Gum on Your Shoes

July 17, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you've ever stepped in sticky gum, it's similar to what happens when an insect steps into milkweed pollinia. Take the wasps visiting the tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) on Thursday morning, July 16 in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.
View Article
"Well, hello there!" A mature male crab spider, likely a Missumessus species (Thomisidae, crab spider) as identified by UC Davis Professor Jason Bond, peers at the camera from his Tithonia post. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spider Alert! Meet a Little Charmer

July 16, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Spider alert! Spider alert! Some folks request a "spider alert" because they cringe in horror when they see an image of the eight-legged critter.
View Article
UC Davis doctoral student Alexandria “Allie” Igwe has received a $138,000 National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship to work on soil microbial communities and develop novel online tools to increase interest in ecology.

Allie Igwe: The Road to Success

July 15, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The road to success is paved with soil microbial communities. And education, curiosity, determination, and collaboration.
View Article
A pair of Gulf Fritillaries on a pomegranate tree. Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis, says she receives a number of calls about "two-headed butterflies." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Fifty Shades of Orange--with a Touch of Silver

July 13, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Fifty shades of orangewith a touch of silver. The bridal couple on the pomegranate tree wore orange and silver to celebrate their honeymoon. The bride may have blushed. I don't know. Did she? Don't all brides blush? The groom, in true form, looked quite dapper and dashing. So there they were.
View Article
Subscribe