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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. 

What You Should Know About the Zika Virus

April 18, 2016
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The (Zika) virus is here, and so is the mosquito. The question is whether there will be enough of both to set off an epidemic. That's what UC San Francisco medical student Joshua Lang wrote in his piece, With Summer Coming, Can the Zika Virus Be Contained?, published April 14 in The New Yorker.
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Countdown 'til UC Davis Picnic Day

April 15, 2016
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Countdown 'til UC Davis Picnic Day... UC Davis will welcome thousands of visitors Saturday, April 16 to its 102nd annual Picnic Day, themed "Cultivating Our Authenticity." You can access the schedule of events here. It promises to be educational, informative and entertaining.
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Malaria Observation Day at UC Davis on April 25

April 12, 2016
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
With all the news media coverage lately on the Zika virus, the more pressing disease of malaria may seem overshadowed. It shouldn't be, nor is it, at the University of California, Davis. Medical entomologists and other scientists at UC Davis are planning a Malaria Awareness Day from 10 a.m.
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