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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. 

How to Attract Pollinators to Your Garden

September 22, 2017
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's a great topic. Horticulture experts at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden will join forces with the Yolo County Master Gardeners on Sunday, Sept. 24 to present a free workshop on "Pollinator Gardening." The event takes place from 10 a.m.
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Pardon Me, Is This My Best Side?

September 21, 2017
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
She's easy to find. A European praying mantis, Mantis religiosa, hangs out in our passionflower vine, Passiflora, the host plant of the Gulf Fritillary butterfly. Mantis religiosa is an introduced species, that is, non-native. We introduce ourselves.
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Bee-ing All You Can Be and See and Do

September 20, 2017
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
What a weekend for bee and gardening enthusiasts! It's a shame we all can't clone ourselves and be in two places at the same time! The 40th annual Western Apicultural Society conference at the University of California, Davis, just concluded and now several more items appear on the University of Cali...
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Bohart Museum Open House: How to Pin a Butterfly

September 19, 2017
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
When the UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology hosts an open house, "Insects and U" on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 24, for the public to get acquainted with insects, it will also be a time to get acquainted with entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the butterfly and moth collection.
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