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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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White Witch at the Bohart Museum of Entomology

The Witch Is In: At the Bohart Museum's Moth Night

July 11, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 It's not Halloween yet, but you'll see a "witch" at the annual Moth Night hosted by the Bohart Museum of Entomology on Saturday, July 12.A White Witch, that is. It's the legendary moth, Thysania agrippina, from the family Erebidae.  It's also called the Ghost Moth, Great Gray…
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Lorquin's admiral. (Photo by Marilyn Sexton)

Admiring the Lorquin's Admiral

July 10, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 What a delight to see!When Fairfield resident and butterfly aficionado Marilyn Sexton spotted on her patio a butterfly that she'd never seen before, she grabbed her cell phone and took some images and a video.Brown-black wings, each lined with a row of white spots. Orange tips on the forewings. …
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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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