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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. 

Just before Cheryle O'Donnell left San Diego for Beltsville, Md. she posed for this photo, which documents her USDA career.

Thrips Expert Cheryle O'Donnell: From San Diego to Beltsville

April 24, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Thrips expert Cheryle O'Donnell, a true UC Davis success story, is now settled into her new position. As of April 6, the former San Diego resident is the National Thysanoptera Taxonomist with the National Identification Services (NIS) at the Systematic Entomology Laboratory (SEL) in Beltsville, MD.
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Roxanne Bell, 7, of Davis, decided that Peaches, the rose-haired tarantula, "tickles!" Watching her reaction at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, during "Take Your Daughers (And Sons) to Work" Day is Joel Fuerte, 6, of Woodland. Their mothers work at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

From a 'Butterfly Wish' to a Tarantula Named 'Peaches'

April 23, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
What a grand event! When the University of California, Davis held its annual campus "Take Your Daughters (And Sons) to Work" Day today (April 23), the participants met one-on-one with entomologists, firefighters, physicians, plant specialists, veterinarians and scores of others in the UC Davis workf...
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A lady beetle, newly rescued from the bathroom of a restaurant in Marin County, crawls on an Iceland poppy in a Solano County bee garden. Freedom! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Luck Be a Lady (Beetle)

April 22, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Overhead in the lady's restroom of a restaurant at the Sausalito marina: Mother to daughter: "There's a lady in here." Daughter: "A lady? Well, why wouldn't there be a lady in here? This is a lady's restroom." Mother: "Look right over there, on the wall.
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The Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar is black with red spines. This one was displayed at the UC Davis Picnic Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

From a Caterpillar to a Butterfly; Don't Eat 'em--Here's Why

April 21, 2015
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Visitors to the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) display in front of Briggs Hall at the 101st annual Picnic Day last Saturday at the University of California, Davis, got a close look at the Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar.
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