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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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Checkered skipper butterfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Checkered Past?

June 16, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Does the common checkered skipper butterfly have a checkered past?That is, "good" and "bad" periods in its life history?It's known as Burnsius communis, formerly Pyrgus communis, a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It derives its common name from its checkerboard pattern of blue-gray and…
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Harpist Samantha Murray, garden coordinator of the UC Davis Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Samantha Murray: For the Love of Music, Bees and Pollinator Gardens

June 16, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 When harpist Samantha Murray, garden and education coordinator of the UC Davis Bee Haven and a member of the UC Davis Class of 2025, presented her senior recital, she weaved in her "passion for the harp, her admiration for bees and the rich beauty of Javanese music."Her senior recital, now on YouTube,…
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What a Wasp!

June 13, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 What a wasp!“I've seen a lot of strange insects, but this has to be one of the most peculiar-looking ones I've seen in a while."That's what UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emerita Lynn Kimsey, fondly known as "The Wasp Woman," told a reporter for the Independent,   London, when asked about a…
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A honey bee and a morning glory. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Glory Bee!

June 12, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 If a bee takes a liking to a morning glory, is it a glory bee?Have you seen the Convolvulus tricoloris flower,  commonly known as "morning glory" or "bindweed"? The plant boasts a flared blue trumpet flower with a white throat and yellow center. The genus is Latin for "twine around." The …
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Honey bee nectaring on blanket flower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

New Venue for California Honey Festival

June 11, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 If you're thinking about heading over to the California Honey Festival in downtown Woodland on Saturday, June 21, don't.It's moved to the nearby Yolo County Fairgrounds, located at 1250 East Gum Ave., Woodland. "Plans change, but the fun doesn't," organizers said.The event, free and open to the public,…
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