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.

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

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

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

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

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

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

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

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

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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A male long-horned digger bee targets a pest, a meloid beetle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What's a Meloid to Do?

July 16, 2015

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

So, what's a meloid beetle to do? Here you are, a meloid beetle foraging on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) and these long-horned digger bees keep dive-bombing you and pestering you. Then a Gulf Fritilllary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) decides it wants a share of your flower.

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