Bug Squad

A daily (M-F) blog launched Aug. 6, 2008 and about the wonderful world of insects and those who study them. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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A syrphid fly, aka flower fly or hover fly, sipping nectar from a tower of jewels. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Power of Red

February 6, 2014
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
There's a heartfelt reason why Friday, Feb. 7 is "UC Davis Wears Red Day." It's about raising awareness for heart disease, the No. 1 killer of both men and women. It's a battle we need to fight with an arsenal of weapons.
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Bee scientist Susan Cobey holds a frame of bees at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley)

Women Who Keep Bees: Part of 'Women Feeding the World' Display at UC Davis

February 5, 2014
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
One is a renowned bee scientist based in Washington state. One is a noted commercial queen bee breeder in California. One is the head of the beekeeping section, Ministry of Agriculture, Botswana government. And two are beekeepers in Bolivia. Washington, California, Botswana and Bolivia...
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A walking stick being fed a leaf at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Your Wish Will Come True Saturday, Feb. 8

February 4, 2014
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
How many times have you walked around the University of California, Davis campus on a weekend and wished: "If only those buildings were open--I'd love to see what's inside!" Well, on Saturday, Feb. 8 your wish will come true.
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The mural from a distance. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Monarch Sighting, All Day, Every Day

February 3, 2014
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a mural worth? Priceless--if it's a mural of a realistic monarch butterfly, teasing you with a strip of masking tape, a chunk of a child's lined notebook paper, and a stack of rich, textured heritage bricks.
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Honey bee packing pollen on an almond tree at UC Davis--on the grounds of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility--several years ago. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

About that Pollen...

January 31, 2014
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Why is that in a honey bee colony, workers can carry pollen but not the queen? Well, scientists from Michigan State University and Wayne State University have discovered the answer.
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