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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. 

Guess How Many Are Coming to Dinner?

November 24, 2017
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Set a plate for one and you might get three more diners. Such was the case recently in a Sonoma garden when a patch Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule) drew a posse of hungry honey bees, all elbowing up to the plate. Iceland poppy is irresistible. Ironically, you won't find Iceland poppy in Iceland.
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A Royal Moment with a Queen Bumble Bee

November 23, 2017
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's Thanksgiving Day and time to give thanks for NOT what we WANT, but what we HAVE. And, not for what we OWN, but what we CANNOT. That includes the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii. On the morning of Nov.
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Special Day for the Parasitoids and Walking Sticks

November 22, 2017
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
American biologist, researcher, theorist, naturalist and author E.O. Wilson once said: "(We have) reason to cherish each species in turn as a world unto itself, worthy of lifetimes of study." That includes parasitoids. "Parasitoid Palooza!" That was the theme of the open house hosted Saturday, Nov.
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