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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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Bombus melanopygus nectaring on lupine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What Are Bumble Bees Thinking?

October 10, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Have you ever wondered what bumble bees are thinking?Yes?Well, you won't want to miss this UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminar by UC Davis bee researcher Felicity Muth.Muth--yes, she's the one who wrote that wonderful children's book, "Am I Even a Bee?"--will present a seminar on …
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Bug enthusiasts pull out the insect specimen drawers at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house.

The Bug Enthusiasts

October 9, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 If you've ever been to a Bohart Museum of Entomology house, you'll see faculty, staff and students staffing the event and interacting with visitors.You may visit the petting zoo and hold a Madagascar hissing cockroach, a walking stick or a giant cave cockroach. A giant cave cockroach? What's that? It's…
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Forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey explaining the importance of labeling. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bugs for All, All for Bugs

October 8, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 The Bohart Museum of Entomology open house, themed "Museum ABCs: How to Collect and Curate,"  drew scores of insect enthusiasts.Held from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 5, in the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus, the event attracted visitors from as far away as Arizona and as…
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Praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, in patch of African blue basil. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Whatcha Doing, Ms. Mantis?

October 6, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, is hanging out in a patch of African blue basil in a Vacaville garden.Me: "Whatcha doing, Ms. Mantis?"Ms. Mantis: "Oh, just watching the bees. Look at how much pollen and nectar they're collecting! It's a bee-utiful thing!"Me: "Just watching them?"Ms. Mantis: …
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