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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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Orange sulfur butterfly, Colias eurytheme. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sixty Years Later, His Scientific Dream Comes True

May 22, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 More than 60 years ago, a teenage butterfly researcher in Philadelphia conceived of a genomics research project involving the genus Colias, the sulfur butterfly.  It never came to fruition because DNA genomics had not yet been invented. Fast forward to today. The research project that the…
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Argentine ant crawling on honey-coated spoon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What He Discovered After Large-Scale Argentine Ant Removals

May 21, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 The invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), a significant pest in both agricultural and urban settings, is known for its supercolonies that render substantial harm to flora and fauna, including native arthropods, vertebrates and plants.Enter Professor David Holway of the UC San Diego Department of…
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Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Celebrating World Bee Day!

May 20, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Today, May 20, is World Bee Day, and time to "raise awareness on the essential role bees and other pollinators play in keeping people and the planet healthy, and on the many challenges they face today," according to the World Bee Day organizers. "We have been celebrating this day since 2018, thanks to…
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Queen bee in a hive

So Many Queens at the California Honey Festival

May 19, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 So many queens at the California Honey Festival, which ended its two-day run on Sunday, May 17.The event, held in Woodland on the Yolo County Fairgrounds, wouldn't be a festival without our participating UC Davis scientists and educators. Amina Harris, retired director of the UC Davis Honey and…
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Mourning cloak butterfly on Echium (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Good Morning, Mourning Cloak

May 18, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 "Good morning, mourning cloak! Fancy meeting you here."The mourning cloak indeed chose a fancy meeting place. It touched down on our Tower of Jewels (Echium wildpretti) and began to nectar."I'm trying to get an image of you," I whispered. "Open your wings." And magically, or sort of magically, it did…
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