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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. 

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A tiny crab spider blending into its surroundings. It is on African blue basil. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Meet a Crab Spider on Earth Day

April 22, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Bug Squad Blog By Kathy Keatley GarveyMeet a crab spider on Earth Day.This little fellow was tucked in an African blue basil blossom on Earth Day (April 22),  an annual event launched in 1970 to support environmental protection and now celebrated globally.Who is to say that a crab spider cannot…
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Soybean field. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

An Insider's Perspective About Crop Production Product Development

April 22, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Bug Squad Blog By Kathy Keatley GarveyIf you're curious about crop protection product development, learn it from an insider.Jared P. Jensen, field research manager at SAN Agrow, will present a seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT), on Monday, April 28 on "Crop…
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Male Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Teddy Bear Bee

April 21, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Bug Squad Blog By Kathy Keatley Garvey I'm honored and humbled to have one of my images showcased at the annual Insect Salon hosted by the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA) at its recent meeting in Salt Lake City. It won a second-place award. PBESA covers 11 Western states, plus…
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Stick insect from Bohart Museum of Entomology crawling on arm. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

When Insects Popped Up--And a Lobster Did, Too

April 18, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Bug Squad Blog By Kathy Keatley Garvey When the Bohart Museum of Entomology erected its pop-up tent on the Briggs Hall lawn during the recent campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day, insects popped up.They included walking sticks (stick insects) and a few specimens from the Bohart Museum's global collection of…
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Mining bee (Andrena) on Passiflora in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In Search of the Mining Bees

April 17, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Bug Squad Blog By Kathy Keatley GarveyThere she was,  a mining bee (genus Andrena) sunning herself on a Passiflora (passionflower vine). She did not notice me.Such a tiny bee, about the size of a grain of rice. It's a solitary ground-nesting bee known as "an early spring bee" and it lives only a…
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