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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. 

Flavored meal worms were first on the menu. (Photos by Kathy Keatley Garvey

You Can Make a Meal Out of Mealworms

November 10, 2014
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
You can make a meal out of mealworms. It's cricket to eat Cambodian crickets. And who wouldn't want a plate of teriyaki grasshopper kebobs paired with Rubicon Angus Scottish Ale? "Don't worry, be hoppy," said celebrity bug chef David George Gordon, author of the award-winning Eat-a-Bug cookbook.
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Porch lights attract predators and prey, including this predator, a praying mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Why You Should Not Clean Your Porch Light Fixtures

November 6, 2014
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Here's a good reason why you should not clean the fixtures around your porch lights--if you need a reason. The lights attract all kinds of nocturnal flying insects. It's like the proverbial draw of a moth to a flame. Spiders weave their webs on the light fixtures to trap their prey.
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Flameskimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Just Buggin' Ya

November 5, 2014
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If there's ever a time to start "buggin' someone,' that would be at the Entomological Society of America's 62nd annual meeting, set Nov. 16-19 in the Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Ore. There will be plenty of people to bug.
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UC Davis entomology undergraduate student Christine Melvin models the monarch wings on display at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Gathering of the Insect Tribe: Fusing Art with Science

November 4, 2014
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Ready to make some human-insect connections? Cultural entomologist Emmet Brady, host of the Insect News Network, a Davis-based program on radio station KDRT 95.7 FM, is planning something special on Friday, Nov. 14 in Nevada City and you're all invited.
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