Bug Squad

A daily (M-F) blog launched Aug. 6, 2008 and about the wonderful world of insects and those who study them. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Moth Night at the Bohart Museum of Entomology was the first-ever evening open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oh, What a (Moth) Night!

July 23, 2015
Oh, what a (moth) night! Saturday, July 18 marked the beginning of National Moth Week and the Bohart Museum of Entomology obliged with an indoor and outdoor open house, its first-ever evening open house. The event took place from 8 to 11 p.m.
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Ecologist Rick Karban has researched plant communication in sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) on the east side of the Sierra since 1995.

Plants Can Eavesdrop, Sense Danger

July 22, 2015
Plants can eavesdrop. They can sense danger. So says ecologist Richard 'Rick' Karban, professor of entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and author of the newly published book, Plant Sensing and Communication (University of Chicago Press).
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UC Davis Extension apiculturist Elina Niño (left) explaining bee biology. At right is staff research associate Bernardo Niño, her husband. They will teach two short courses in September. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

So You Want to Be a Beekeeper...

July 21, 2015
So you want to be a beekeeper...but you don't know where to begin. You're in luck. Bee experts at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, University of California, Davis, are planning two short courses or sessions in September--the first on Sept. 13 and the second on Sept. 20.
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A praying mantis snares a newly emerged Gulf Fritillary butterfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Two Predators, One Prey

July 20, 2015
Sometimes you just can't win for losing. This morning a newly emerged Gulf Fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) began drying its damp wings, preparing for flight. It had just emerged from its chrysalis.
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There's a spittlebug nympth inside this frothy material. This one is on lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Spittin' Image

July 17, 2015
Talk about a spittin' image. When you see one spittlebug froth, you've seen them all, right? They all look alike, right? Well, the froth does, but you'll see different shapes and sizes on your plants.
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