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)
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A Western tiger swallowtail nectaring on a butterfly bush. Note that it is missing part of its tail. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Western Tiger Swallowtails: Not All Are 'Picture Perfect'

July 11, 2019
It was "hit and miss." The predators hit, and they missed. Oh sure, they took a chunk out of these Western tiger swallowtails, but as they say, "a miss is as good as a mile." The predators? Could have been a hungry bird, praying mantis, or a spider.
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Solar energy can be used to protect pollinator habitat, according to a research paper published July 9 in the journal Nature. This is Anthophora urbana, a ground-nesting solitary bee which has a broad distribution including the Mojave Desert. It is a floral generalist collecting pollen and nectar from many species of plants, says UC Davis entomologist Leslie Saul-Gershenz. (Photo by Leslie Saul-Gershenz)

Pollinator Habitat: Important Part of Solar Energy Study

July 9, 2019
Solar energy should not only be used to benefit global sustainability, but to protect our global ecological systems, including climate, air quality, water and wildlife, says an international team of 16 researchers, including several UC Davis scientists, in a newly published study in the journal Natu...
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This is researcher Christophe Morisseau's water balloon battle poster, now on display in the Briggs Hall basement, outside his office. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Here's Why Your Workplace Needs a Water Balloon Battle

July 8, 2019
The posters displayed at the Bruce Hammock Alumni Lab Reunion last August in the UC Davis Conference Center epitomized state-of-the-art scientific research. Typical of the posters, all by Hammock lab affiliates: "Insect Gut--Pathogen Molecular Interactions" by Bryony C.
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Undergraduate biological sciences major Andrew Kisin of the Aldrin Gomes lab, UC Davis Department of Neurbiology, PHysiology and Behavior, tosses a container of water at Bruce Hammock, UC Davis distinguished professor. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Water Warriors Bracing for Bruce Hammock Lab Water Balloon Battle

July 5, 2019
They're baking in France. The village of Villevieille recorded an historical high temperature of 113.2 degrees Fahrenheit on June 28. The villagers probably wish they were at the University of California, Davis, where plans are underway for the 16th annual Bruce Hammock Lab Water Balloon Battle.
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