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.

Christian Nansen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, illustrated his research paper, published in PLOS ONE, with this graphic.

Of Skittles and Magnolia Leaves and Mosquito Eggs

October 25, 2018

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Quick! Can you think of published research that involves Skittles, magnolia leaves and mosquito eggs?

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A honey bee heads for a lupine blossom. Nectar-living microbes release scents or volatile compounds, too, and can influence a pollinator’s foraging preference, according to UC Davis community ecologist Rachel Vannette, recipient of a Hellman Fellowship. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis Community Ecologist Rachel Vannette: Hellman Fellowship to Research Pollinator Microbiomes

October 24, 2018

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Congratulations to community ecologist Rachel Vannette, assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology: she was just selected as one of the 11 campus recipients of a Hellman Fellowship grant.

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EGSA members and their award-winning t-shirts: president Brendon Boudinot; EGSA t-shirt coordinator Jill Oberski; and Corwin Parker. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Insect-Inspired Fashions! Compliments of the UC Davis EGSA

October 23, 2018

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Talk about insect-inspired fashions! Insects are in.

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Meet the drone fly (Eristalis tenax), often mistaken for a honey bee. Note the one set of wings, large eyes, stubby antennae and a distinguishing "H" on its abdomen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Case of Mistaken Identity

October 22, 2018

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

They can't drain your bank account. They can't open up new credit cards. They can't get medical treatment on your health insurance. But they are identity thieves, nonetheless. Meet the drone fly (Eristalis tenax), often mistaken for a honey bee. Indeed, it's about the size of a honey bee.

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A fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, feeding on a banana. (Photo by Sanjay Acharya, courtesy of Wikipedia)

What This Scientist Discovered in an Insect and Why It Matters

October 19, 2018

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

What this scientist discovered in an insect and why it matters... Naoki Yamanaka, an assistant professor at UC Riverside (UCR), is known for his innovative and creative research. In fact, the National Institute of Health (NIH) just awarded him a $2.

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