Bug Squad

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.

So You Want to Become a Master Beekeeper...

March 7, 2016

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

So you want to become a Master Beekeeper. You don't want to just keep bees, you want to devote your life to learning more about them and understanding them. And you want to engage in public service.

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It's All the Buzz: 4-H'ers Learning How to Keep Bees

March 4, 2016

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Nathaniel Haddon of the Vaca Valley 4-H Club, Vacaville, is only nine years old, but he already knows more about honey bees than many adults do. He readily names the three castes: queen bee, worker bee and drone.

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Rest in Peace, Pollinator Partner

March 3, 2016

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

We lost our Pollinator Partner today. Xena the Warrior Princess, a 16-year-old tuxedo cat that we rescued from the pound, crossed the Rainbow Bridge today in a local veterinarian's office. We had her 16 years, or if cats have staff, we were her staff for 16 years.

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Are Culex Mosquitoes Potential Vectors of the Zika Virus?

March 2, 2016

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Scientists throughout the world targeted the Zika virus, transmitted by the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, at a major symposium today in Recife, Brazil, epicenter of the Zika virus outbreak.

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When Varroa Mites Hitch a Ride

March 1, 2016

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Those blood-sucking varroa mites (Varroa destructor) are considered the No. 1 enemy of beekeepers. In powerful numbers and weakened colonies, they can overwhelm and collapse a hive. We remember seeing a varroa mite attached to a foraging honey bee one warm summer day in our pollinator garden.

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