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)

Adult Caenorhabditis elegans. Wikipedia describes it as "a free-living, transparent nematode, about 1mm in length, that lives in temperature soil environments." (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Plant Nematologist Nathan Schroeder: 'Endless Worms Most Beautiful'

September 30, 2019

If you're interested in nematodes--also called "roundworms"--then you'll want to be around when plant nematologist Nathan Schroeder, associate professor of crop sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, presents a seminar on Wednesday, Oct.

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Two monarchs arrived today at a pollinator garden in Vacaville to sip nectar from a patch of Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Monarch Kind of Day

September 27, 2019

Today was a Monarch Kind of Day...in Vacaville. When Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, searched for butterfly species today at one of his field sites--Gates Canyon in Vacaville--he spotted not one, but two monarchs.

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Lupine seeds will be among the native wildflower seeds available at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden plant sale on Saturday, Sept. 28. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Why UC Davis Campus Is Place to 'Bee' on Sept. 28

September 26, 2019

The UC Davis campus is the place to "bee" on Saturday, Sept. 28.

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The parts of a honey bee include the head, thorax and abdomen. A class on "Advanced Anatomy and Physiology of the Honey Bee" takes place Oct. 19 at UC Davis, and is offered by the UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program. This image was taken in Vacaville of a bee heading toward a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Learn About Honey Bee Anatomy at UC Davis Class

September 25, 2019

Consider the honey bee. Like all insects, it has a head, thorax and abdomen. But are you familiar with the rest of its anatomy? Here's an opportunity to learn about "Advanced Anatomy and Physiology of the Honey Bee" in a class offered Saturday, Oct.

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Visiting scholar Syed Fahad Shah and doctoral student Charlotte Herbert Alberts (next to him) help youngsters make buttons at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Terrible Night for a Visiting Scholar at UC Davis

September 24, 2019

It didn't appear that anything was wrong. He hid it well. "It's okay," he said quietly. "I'm okay." But what happened to him wasn't okay then, and it isn't okay now. On Saturday afternoon, Sept.

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