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.

A jumping spider peers out between the petals of a yellow rose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Stop and Smell the Roses...

October 26, 2015

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Stop and smell the roses. Yes, we should all do that. We should take time out of our busy schedules to appreciate the beauty of nature, the beauty of roses, the beauty of a single yellow rose. But sometimes there's a bonus in those roses, depending on whether you like jumping spiders or honey bees.

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A newly released (Oct. 23) male monarch butterfly lands on a ginkgo tree. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Place to Be Oct. 24: UC Davis Arboretum Plant Sale

October 23, 2015

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

So, you're looking for some host plants to attract butterflies, like monarchs and pipevine swallowtails? You're yearning to see monarch eggs, caterpillars and chrysalids on milkweed. Ditto for the pipevine swallowtails on their host plant, Dutchman's pipe.

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Two honey bees compete for floral resources as they forage on a Japanese anemone in the Luther Burbank gardens, Santa Rosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Share and Share Alike...

October 22, 2015

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Honey bees were all over the Japanese anemone (Anemone hupehensis) on Monday, Oct. 19 at the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens, Santa Rosa. They just could not get enough of the colorful flower, also known as a windflower or thimbleweed.

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A Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) lands on a passioinflower blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Strange Weather We're Having

October 21, 2015

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Strange weather we're having here in Central California. After soaring into the 90s, the temperatures pushed again into the 80s today (Oct.21). The Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae) are "making the most-est" of their host plant, passionflower vines. Blossoms keep popping up like so much popcorn.

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Honey bee caught in the storm attempts to dry off. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

That Wet Stuff!

October 20, 2015

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The rain that pounded Northern California on Oct. 18--complete with thunder and lightening--also drenched a few honey bees that waited out the storm.

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