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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. 

A Big Cheer for a Crab Spider

June 6, 2016
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
What happened in our pollinator garden on June 3 probably would have promoted a standing ovation from agriculturists who grow cotton, strawberries, sugarbeets, tomatoes, beans, safflower, potatoes, and other crops. A crab spider nailed a major pest, a lygus bug, Lygus hesperus.
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Katydids Did It

June 3, 2016
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Katydids did it. When it comes to the best of the industrial-strength shredding machines, they're it. The nymphs have been feeding our Iceland poppies, chewing incredible holes in petal after petal, and then looking around for more. They leave behind what looks like shredded cabbage.
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Why Honey Is Neither Bee Vomit Nor Bee Barf

June 2, 2016
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
"Honey is bee vomit!" "Honey is bee barf!" How many times have you heard that? Strong-willed arguments flash rapidly, pointedly and furiously, much like guard bees defending their colony in the fall from would-be robbers.
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Who's the Boss of the Lavender?

May 31, 2016
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Some folks refer to them as "those big, black scary bumble bees." They're not bumble bees. They're not scary. But well, they ARE big. About an inch long. The Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) is the largest bee in California. The female is solid black with metallic wings.
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