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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. 

A varroa mite (see reddish-brown spot under the wing) clings to a bee foraging on lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

How Are the Bees Doing? ABF Conference in Reno

January 8, 2018
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
How are the bees doing? When the American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) meets Jan. 9-13 at the Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, Nev. for its 75th annual American Beekeeping Federation Conference & Tradeshow, the key concern is bee health. Sadly, colony losses continue to take their toll.
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This is part of the trilogy of wall pieces created by artist Ann Savageau, professor emerita, UC Davis Department of Design. Her materials: hornet nest paper.

This Artist Works with Hornet Nest Paper

January 5, 2018
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Most people avoid a hornet's nest. Not environmental artist Ann Savageau; the retired UC Davis Department of Design professor creates art from hornet nest paper. "I began using hornet nest paper back in Ann Arbor, Mich.
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A yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, nectaring on rosemary at the Benicia Marina on New Year's Day, 2018. Note the orange pollen, derived from another floral species, probably California golden poppies. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Foraging Bumble Bees: Check Out the Orange Pollen

January 2, 2018
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Bring on the bumble bees! In yesterday's Bug Squad blog, we mentioned the unusual first-of-the-year bumble bee sightings at the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park. We captured images of the yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, nectaring on jade, Crassula ovata, the morning of Jan.
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