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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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Nematodes infecting bean roots. (Image by Pallavi Shakya)

Important Nemadode Research Published

November 19, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Plant-parasitic nematodes rarely draw national headlines, but this newly published research should.First, what's a plant-parasitic nematode?As UC Davis nematologist Shahid Siddique, an associate professor with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology explains: "Plant-parasitic nematodes are…
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UC Davis entomologist student Jo Ridgeway, a Bohart Museum of Entomology intern, shows a stuffed toy animal, a tick, from the Bohart gift shop. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Fuzzy-Wuzzy Good Time with Holiday Gifts

November 18, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Bug enthusiasts will have a "jolly good time" or a "fuzzy-wuzzy good time" selecting holiday gifts that the Bohart Museum of Entomology and the UC Davis Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) are offering."Fuzzy-wuzzy" wasn't a bear. It was probably a wooly bear caterpillar …
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A male longhorned bee, Melissodes agilis, on a Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Those Pollinator-Plant Interactions

November 17, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Thinking about pollinator-plant interactions?This promises to be interesting...UC Merced assistant professor Marilia Palumbo Gaiarsa will present a seminar, hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, on "From Foraging to Fiitness: How Individual Behavior Shapes Plant-Pollinator…
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UC Davis doctoral candidate answering questions about bees at a recent Bohart Museum of Entomology open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Moths Can Mimic Bees, Too!

November 14, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Bee Mimics!Did you know that some moths mimic bees?When the Bohart Museum of Entomology hosts its free and family friendly open house from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 15 on "The Bees and Their Mimics"--the program will be coordinated by UC Davis doctoral candidates Lexie Martin and Abigail Lehner--you…
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Male leafcutter bee on rock purslane. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

'Science Saturday' at Cache Creek and Bohart Museum: Some Buzz, Some Swim

November 13, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Nov. 15 promises to be a terrific "Science Saturday," involving two UC Davis events. And both are free and family friendly.The Bohart Museum of Entomology will host an open house from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 15 on "The Bees and Their Mimics," coordinated by UC Davis doctoral candidates Lexie Martin…
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