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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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Forest entomologist and chemical ecologist Steve Seybold and doctoral student Jackson Audley by a downtown Davis tree with thousand cankers disease. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Forest Entomologist/Chemical Ecologist Steven Seybold: 1959-2019

November 20, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
We are all saddened by the death of noted forest entomologist and chemical ecologist Steven Jon Seybold, a lecturer and researcher with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and a research entomologist with the Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Davis.
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Thomas "Tom" Eisner, the father of chemical ecology, accepts his National Medal of Science award in 1994 from President Bill Clinton for his "seminal contributions in the fields of insect behavior and chemical ecology, and for his international efforts on biodiversity." (Courtesy Photo)

Chemical Ecologist Tom Eisner: Who Knew?

November 18, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Michael Jordan and Tom Eisner shared at least one thing in common: a rejection that hurt deeply and a recovery that ended amazingly. Jordan, the second-highest-scoring NBA player scorer (5,987 points), "wasn't good enough" to make his high school varsity basketball team (at first).
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The UC Linnaean Games Team includes (from left) Hanna Kahl, Jill Oberski, Miles Dakin, Zach Griebenow and Brendon Boudinot, all in the doctoral program, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Not pictured: captain Ralph Washington Jr., who received his bachelor's degree in entomology at UC Davis and is now a graduate student at UC Berkeley. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

These Entomologists Are a Powerhouse of a Team

November 14, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
They know their insects. Ask them a question about insects and entomologists, and odds are, they'll come up with the correct answer. And quickly. They've already won three national championships and are gearing up for a fourth.
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