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Bug Squad

Bug Squad blog image depicts a honey bee sting in action.

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. 

Male sunflower bees, Melissodes robustior, as identified by Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, slumber away on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Snuggle Bugs

July 6, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Just call them "snuggle bugs." Or "snuggle bees." After spending the day chasing the girls and defending their patch of Mexican sunflowers or Tithonia, a cluster of Melissodes robustior males settled down for the night. Their bed last night: a Tithonia leaf curl. Before that, some lavender stems.
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"Red" is for the red flameskimmer, Libellula saturata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey).

Hurray for the Red, White and Blue!

July 3, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Hurray for the red, white and blue! One more day until we celebrate the birth of our country, Independence Day, and the patriotic colors will be out in force. Insects, also, can be red, white and blue. Take the red flameskimmer dragonfly (Libellula saturata).
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Sunflower bees, Svastra obliqua expurgata, flying to a nesting area in downtown Davis, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

You Can Take That to the Bank!

July 2, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
They're good bees. You can take that to the bank! The excitement began when Martin Guerena, an integrated pest management (IPM) specialist with the City of Davis, encountered a native bee nesting site Wednesday in front of the U.S. Bank, corner of 3rd and F streets, Davis.
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A Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, lands on a butterfly bush. Note the stink bug on top. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Butterfly and the Stink Bug

June 30, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's sort of like "The Beauty and the Beast." Or "The Pollinator and the Pest." A gorgeous Western Tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus), seeking nectar from a butterfly bush, touched down and began to feed. It didn't take long for the butterfly to spot a stink bug crawling on top of the blossom.
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