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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A frame from the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An App for Bee Health

August 20, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
So you want to know about bee health? Yes, there's an app for that--and you're welcome to download it for free. Our good neighbor to the north of us, Alberta Agriculture, has just developed Phase 1 of its Bee Health.
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A honey bee foraging on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Learn How to Make Mead at UC Davis

August 19, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Like to learn how to make mead? You know, transform honey into honey wine? The UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute and the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology are offering a beginners' introduction to mead making on Friday and Saturday, Nov.
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A camouflaged katydid, its body resembling a leaf, feeds on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Katy Did, Katy Didn't!

August 18, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
I've always rather liked katydids. Anyone who is called "Kate" or "Katy" in their childhood usually winds up with "Katydid" as a nickname. And they repeatedly hear "Katy did. Katy didn't" (the sound the insect makes).
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A praying mantis perches on a blanketflower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Prey for Me

August 17, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Whenever folks post photos of praying mantids, their readers expect to see prey. You know, the hapless bee or butterfly that made the fatal mistake of getting too close to those spiked forelegs. This praying mantis (below) appeared to have been a hapless victim of another predator.
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