Bug Squad Logo

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. 

Handing Over the Bees!

September 29, 2017
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Beekeepers circled biologist Randy Oliver, commercial beekeeper, scientist, writer and educator, as he held court in the apiary of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, University of California,Davis.
View Article

You Gotta Love Those Praying Mantids!

September 27, 2017
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
You gotta love those praying mantids! An orchid mantis and a ghost mantis fascinated visitors at the recent open house hosted by the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
View Article

Bohart Museum Open House: To Pin a Butterfly...

September 26, 2017
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
To pin a butterfly specimen... Visitors at the UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Sunday, Sept. 24 learned how to pin and spread butterflies and moths from entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the museum's Lepidoptera collection. The three-hour open house, held from 1 to 4 p.m.
View Article

'Bee Man' Norm Gary: Still Smokin'

September 25, 2017
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's not every beekeeper who can say they've owned--and used--a smoker for 70 years. "Bee Man" Norman Gary can. And he displayed it at the Western Apicultural Society's 40th annual conference, held recently at UC Davis.
View Article