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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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Agricultural entomologist and Cooperative Extension specialist Ian Grettenberger joined the faculty of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Entomology in January 2019. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ian Grettenberger Targets a Variety of Pests

March 18, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
(Editor's Note: In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic precautions--when facilities are closing down--we're taking time to spotlight some of our UC Davis entomologists and their projects) Agricultural entomologist and Cooperative Extension specialist Ian Grettenberger, who joined the faculty of th...
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The butterfly collection at the Bohart Museum is a popular attraction, but the Bohart will be closed to the public until April 6. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bohart Museum: Closed Until Monday, April 6

March 16, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The popular Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, is a favorite destination of adults and children alike but that won't happen for awhile. And rightfully so. We all need to take precautions.
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Professor Elizabeth Crone delivering a seminar on Western monarchs to the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Elizabeth Crone and the Declining Western Monarchs

March 13, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
"Why Are the Monarch Butterflies Declining in the West?" Professor Elizabeth Crone of Tufts University who researches monarchs (as well as bumble bees), drew a standing-room only crowd when she presented a UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminar on the decline of Western monarchs.
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No Open House March 21 at Bohart Museum of Entomology

March 12, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you marked your calendar to attend the Saturday, March 21 open house at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis campus, you can unmark it. For now. The Bohart Museum of Entomology has postponed its open house to comply with the new UC Davis policies regarding coronavirus pandemic cautions.
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