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.

An stylized ant on the art car. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An Art Car Perfect for an Entomologist

June 30, 2014

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Ever been to the Burning Man Festival and checked out the art cars? No, and no. But last Sunday at the Berkeley Marina, we saw an art car that looked as if it could have been at the Burning Man. It was the wheel deal. And a car that an entomologist could love.

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A leaffooted bug on a tomato. This is Leptoglossus phyllopus, as identified by senior museum scientist Steve Heydon of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Can You See the Leaf?

June 27, 2014

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Once you've seen a leaffooted bug (genus Leptoglossus), you'll never forget it. If you look closely, you'll see a leaflike structure on each hind leg. It's especially noticeable when the bug is on a brightly colored tomato or pomegranate.

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Damselfly on a leaf in the late afternoon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Like a Needle in a Haystack

June 26, 2014

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Finding a tan-colored damselfly in a patch of fading English lavender is like finding a needle in the proverbial haystack. They're so tiny and inconspicuous that they're easy to miss. They're about an inch long and so slender that they look like flying needles.

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A Gulf Fritillary sips nectar from a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia), unaware of what will soon occur. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

June 25, 2014

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Butterflies flutter. Bees don't. Indeed, some bees seem to possess Superman's extraordinary power of "faster than a speeding bullet." They're just lacking a blue costume, a red cape and an "S" on their thorax.

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A praying mantis climbs down a lavender stem to get a closer look at the sleeping boy bees, longhorned digger bees, Melissodes agilis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sleeping with the Enemy

June 24, 2014

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Just call it sleeping with the enemy. But how can you sleep when you sense a predator in your midst? Last night, as usual, was Boys' Night Out in our lavender patch.

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