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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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Leafcutter bee on stem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Buzzwatch 2025 Underway

July 8, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 What's buzzing? What's fluttering? What's crawling?Planet Bee Foundation is encouraging all folks interested in native bees and native pollinators to join its Buzzwatch 2025, which it launched June 1 during National Pollinator Month and will continue through Aug. 31."Use iNaturalist to document native…
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Tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ever Held a Tobacco Hornworm?

July 8, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Ever held a tobacco hornworm? You can when the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis hosts its annual "Moth Night" open house on Saturday, July 12. It takes place from 7 to 11 p.m. and it's free and family friendly, Parking is also free.Bohart Museum scientists will be displaying, among other live…
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Ranchman's tiger moth. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Like a Moth to a Flame...

July 7, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Like a moth to a flame...That typifies the attraction of folks who plan to attend the Bohart Museum of Entomology's annual "Moth Night" on Saturday, July 12. The open house, set from 7 to 11 p.m., is free and family friendly. Just head over to Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker…
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A soldier beetle sunning itself on a yellow rose petal. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Just Soldiering On...

July 4, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 The British are coming! The British are coming!The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere?No, just soldier beetles, family Cantharidae, scrambling for aphids.Soldier beetles are so named because they sport a color pattern reminiscent of the British soldiers who battled The Thirteen Colonies (then known as "Great…
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Stink bugs on a zinnia in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Stink Bugs Suck

July 3, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 It seems like a good day to post images of stink bugs..We spotted a pair of stink bugs on our zinnias "keeping busy" today.They suck. Truly.Stink bugs are shield-shaped sucking insects, family Pentatomidae, and California is home to more than 50 stink bug species. How did they get their name? When…
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