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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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Bug Squad blog template. Bumble bee on bull thistle

In Support of the UC Davis Bee Haven

March 31, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 A buzzworthy item...The UC Davis Bee Haven, maintained by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, is one of the beneficiaries of the UC Davis Give Day, now underway through 4:59 p.m., Saturday, Apri1 12. This is the ninth annual philanthropic event coinciding with the campuswide UC…
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A youngster waves goodbye to Jenny Carlson Donnelly

Jenny. One of Us.

February 27, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 We remember when Jenny Sara Carlson received her doctorate in entomology with a dedicated emphasis in the biology of vector-borne diseases in August of 2015 from the University of California, Davis. Her dissertation: "Culicine Vector Competence and Its Role in the Transmission of Avian…
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Poison dart frogs are found in Central and Southern America. This is an image shared by UC Davis neurobiologist-behaviorist Eva Fischer who researches them.

Poison Dart Frogs, Robber Flies, Monarchs at Bohart Museum Open House

February 24, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Ever seen a live poison dart frog? If you've been to Central or South America, you may have. Or you may have seen one at a zoo. But if you attend the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house, themed "Venomous vs. Poisonous," on Sunday, March 2, you'll see them up close.
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Medical entomologist Bruce Eldridge in 2007. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Entomology World Mourning the Loss of Bruce Eldridge

February 21, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The entomology world is mourning the loss of UC Davis Professor Emeritus Bruce Eldridge. As a medical entomologist, his exemplary military, academic and administrative career spanned more than six decades. He died Wednesday, Feb. 5 in Davis at age 91. Dr.
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