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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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Academic advisor Elvira Galvan Hack in her office in Hutchinson Hall. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Why Elvira Galvan Hack Is 'Paying It Forward'

September 4, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
When the UC Davis Staff Assembly honors Elvira Galvan Hack at its campuswide Citation for Excellence Award ceremony on Friday, Sept. 6 at the Walter A. Buehler Alumni Center, there's a story behind the story. An amazing story. A story of success. A story of paying it forward and making a difference.
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A monarch on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) in September 2016 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Where Are All the Monarchs? Good News and Bad News

September 3, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Where are all the monarch butterflies? There's good news and bad news. First, the bad news: "An Epic Migration on the Verge of Collapse," wrote the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation on its website detailing monarch conservation.
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A worker honey bee forages on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) in the magic hour, the hour before sunset. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Laborious Honey Bee

September 2, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Today is Labor Day 2019, a federal holiday celebrated the first Monday of September. However, "the girls" are working, as they do every day of the year, weather permitting. "The girls" are the worker honey bees. Unless you keep bees or have access to a hive, you mostly see them foraging.
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Robbin Thorp with his screensaver, an image he took of the critically imperiled Franklin's bumble bee. (2007 Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Celebration of Life Set Oct. 11 for Robbin Thorp, 1933-2019

August 30, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The date is set. The celebration of life for global bee expert Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis and a beloved scientist, is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Putah Creek Lodge.
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