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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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UC Davis forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey, known as "The Fly Man of Alcatraz," will be the keynote speaker at the UC Davis Entomology Alumni Dinner on April 2. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Gathering of UC Davis Entomologists

March 13, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's a gathering of UC Davis entomologists--from students to graduates to faculty to retired faculty. The third UC Davis Entomology Alumni Reunion is set Sunday, March 31 through Tuesday, April 2. Most of the events will take place in the Walter A.
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Spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, infesting a raspberry. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What a Difference These Four UC Davis Entomologists Are Making!

March 11, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
They study bees, ants, fruit flies and spider flies. And that's just a small portion of what they do. And what a difference they're making! Four UC Davis entomologists won awards from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA).
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A pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor, is like a bolt of blue. Here it heads for salvia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oh, the Plants You'll See at the UC Davis Arboretum Plant Sale!

March 8, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Who doesn't love that "bolt of blue," the pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor? A black butterfly with iridescent blue hindwings, it's a frequent visitor to our garden, where it nectars on such plants as the butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii, the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia), and sage (Salvia).
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