Bug Squad Logo

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. 

Ants head for food on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Of Ants, Hummingbird Feeders and Feelings

June 18, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
How do you keep ants off your hummingbird feeders? That was a question a Bug Squad reader asked: "I was wondering if you had any tips on how to keep ants off and out of the hummingbird feeder? I've put Vaseline on the line it hangs from, and that helped for a long time.
View Article
A female damselfly, identified as a familiar bluet, Enallagma civile, rests on a Tithonia leaf in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Damsel, But Not in Distress

June 17, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's a damsel, but not in distress. It's a Familiar Bluett, but it's not all that familiar--unless you study Odonata. Lately we've been seeing scores of damseflies zigzagging in our pollinator garden in Vacaville, Calif.
View Article
A honey bee dusted with pollen from the blanket flower, Gaillardia, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Pollen Power Reigns Supreme

June 16, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
You may have lost track of the hours, days, weeks and months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but how can you forget National Pollinator Week? Especially if you've ventured out in your yard, garden or park and witnessed the pollinators doing what they do best.
View Article
Subscribe