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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. 

From left are distinguished emerita professor M.R.C. Greenwood, chair of the UC Davis Emeriti Association Awards and Recognition Committee; distinguished emeritus professor Robert E. Page Jr., and UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In Praise of a Honey Bee Geneticist

January 31, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Accolades flowed when honey bee geneticist Robert E. Page Jr., received the 2019 UC Davis Distinguished Emeritus Professor Award at the annual Academic Retiree and Emeriti Award Luncheon, held Jan. 28 in the UC Davis Conference Center.
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Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, will be honored at a special symposium April 2 at the 103rd annual meeting of the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spotlighting the Work of Bee Expert Robbin Thorp

January 30, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
An honor well deserved. When the 103rd annual meeting of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America (PBESA) takes place March 31-April 3 in the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina, San Diego, something very special will happen.
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A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii,heads for an almond blossom in Benicia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Beauty of a Day: Bumble Bees in Benicia

January 27, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If there's anything better than seeing honey bees foraging on almond blossoms, it's this: Bumble bees foraging on almond blossoms. Make that the yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, in Benicia.
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