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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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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
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
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
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
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
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
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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May the Fourth Be With You: Four honey bees share a rose blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

May the Fourth Be With You

July 4, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
"The Redcoats are coming! The Redcoats are coming!" So shouted American Revolutionary patriot Paul Revere during his historical ride. Those who responded to the colonial revolt included my immigrant ancestors: the Keatleys, Laughlins and Agees. They left their farms and took up arms.
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