Bug Squad

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.

A pollen-laden honey bee heads for more pollen and nectar on mustard. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Yes, I'll Have Some Mustard, Please!

April 3, 2019

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Yes, I'll have some mustard, please. Yes, both the pollen and the nectar, thank you. We watched a honey bee buzz into our little mustard patch, her proboscis (tongue) extended, and pollen weighting her down. If she were at the airport, someone would have volunteered to carry her bags.

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In a scene from the 2018 national Linnaean Games championships, Brendon Boudinot answers a question. Team captain Ralph Washington Jr. looks on. (ESA Photo)

Congrats, UC Linnaean Games Team!

April 2, 2019

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Congrats to the University of California Linnaean Games Team! They know their insects! The UC team, which swept the national championship last year, just won the regional competition Monday night at the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA) meeting in San Diego.

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Close-up of female silver digger bee, Habropoda miserabilis, taken at Waldport, Ore. in 2015. (Copyrighted Photo by Leslie Saul-Gershenz. Used with Permission)

Why Silver Digger Bees Are Like Gold

April 1, 2019

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Why silver digger bees are like gold... Remember those "long lost" silver digger bees found last week at the San Francisco Presidio? They hadn't been seen in large aggregations for nearly a century.

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Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor, will be honored at a special PBESA symposium for a liftime of work. He co-authored these two books in 2014. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Memorable Week Pending for UC Davis Entomologists!

March 29, 2019

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Next week promises to be memorable week for entomologists at the University of California, Davis. Oh, how they wish they could clone themselves so they could be in two places at the same time: in San Diego and on the UC Davis campus.

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Children at the Bohart Museum of Entomology program at the Vacaville Public Library display different reactions when the bugs appear. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Don't Yell 'Yecch' and Run for Cover!

March 28, 2019

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The message was clear. If you see a creepy crawler, don't yell yecch! and run for coveror the nearest exit. Instead, say Interesting! Insects should delight you, not frighten you.

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