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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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This is the virus that causes COVID-19. A UC Davis-based public awareness webinar on COVID-19 will take place at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, April 23 on YouTube.

COVID-19 Survivor to Participate in UC Davis-Based Webinar

April 21, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
She's a survivor of COVID-19 and she'll tell what happened to her. The first Yolo County resident to test positive for COVID-19 will join physicians and scientists at the UC Davis-based COVID-19 public awareness webinar set from 1:30 to 4 p.m.
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Professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, gives a pre-Picnic Day virtual tour of the insect museum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Insects Around Us: From UC Davis Picnic Day to Your Computer

April 20, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you missed the 105th annual UC Davis Picnic, you're not alone. We missed it, too. So did the ants and other insects. The Department of Entomology and Nematology annually hosts dozens of popular Picnic Day events at Briggs Hall and at the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
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Olivia Winokur, who researches Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, is the co-author of research published in several journals, including PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Her first first-author paper, “Impact of Temperature on the Extrinsic Incubation Period of Zika Virus in Aedes aegypti” was just published in March. (CDC Photo of Aedes aegypti)

Olivia Winokur: Newly Selected Fellow of Professors for the Future

April 17, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
She's an doctoral student in entomology now, but look for Olivia Winokur to be a professor engaging in research, teaching and public service. She's been making her mark in all three since enrolling in 2016 in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's Ph.D.
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