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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 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.
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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.
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