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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. 

Ready to cut the ribbon (from left) are almond pollination consultant Robert Curtis of Carmichael, retired director of agricultural affairs, Almond Board of California; Brad Pankratz of Can-Am Apiaries, Orland; Jackie Parks-Burris of Jackie Park-Burris Queen Bees, Palo Cedro and a past president of California State Beekeepers' Association; Darren Cox, Logan, Utah, past president of American Honey Producers; and Kelvin Adee of Bruce, S.D., president of American Honey Producers.

A Grand Opening--And Bees Were Nowhere in Sight

January 15, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It was a grand opening of the USDA-ARS bee research facility at the University of California, Davis, but the bees were nowhere in sight. That's because bees don't fly until the temperature hits around 55, and the thermometer on that wintry day (Jan. 7) refused to budge over 47.
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Mexican free-tailed batsleaving Yolo Causeway at dusk on Sept. 10, 2019. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bohart Museum Open House: What Insects Do Bats Eat?

January 13, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
When you watch bats emerge at dusk in the summer from the Yolo Causeway, have you ever wondered what insects they eat? UC Davis doctoral candidate Ann Holmes has--and she's doing research on what's in their guano (feces).
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Colonies of Camponotus semitestaceus (carpenter ants) as identified by UC Davis entomologist and doctoral candidate Brendon Boudinot. These are in a Vacaville park. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Corrie Moreau to Speak at UC Davis on 'The Evolution of Ants'

January 10, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
For several weeks now, we've been watching colonies of carpenter ants in a Vacaville, Callif. park. They draw the attention of curious kids--some poke them with a stick, stomp on them, or race their bicycles over them. Some peer into the holes, trying to see the insects inside.
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Beekeepers are gearing up for the California almond polination season, which usually starts around Feb. 14. Here, in this file photo, an industrious bee forages on an almond blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Meet the President of the American Honey Producers

January 9, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
January is cold in Bruce, S.D., where the average nighttime temperature dips to 3 degrees. Beekeeper Kelvin Adee, who hails from Bruce, isn't experiencing any of that right now. He's in California--and so are his bees for the almond pollination season.
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