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.

A honey bee pollinating an almond blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tough Time for Beekeepers and Almond Growers

February 19, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's a tough time for beekeepers and almond growers during California's almond pollination season. There's a nationwide bee shortage, rapidly increasing hive thefts and often uncooperative weather.

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Environmental scientist Severyn Korneyev of the Plant Pest Diagnostics Center, California Department of Food and Agriculture and a research associate at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis, will be sharing his expertise at the fruit fly identification-training session.

CDFA to Host Fruit Fly Workshop, Free to Participants

February 18, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Fruit flies are important economic pests, causing millions of dollars in damage, but not many scientists know how to identify them.

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UC Davis Bio Boot Camps: Where Science Matters

February 17, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The UC Davis Bio Boot camps: Where science matters. The deadline for science-driven teens to apply for the 2025 UC Davis Bio Boot Camps is Saturday, March 1.

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Lady beetles, aka ladybugs, are a crowd pleaser on Valentine's Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Getting the Red In: Happy Valentine's Day!

February 14, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Someone once said that "red doesn't tiptoe into a room; it kicks down the door." Red is bold, fiery, and confident. It's also a warning: think stop signs, traffic lights and fire engines. Don't blow through a stop signs or red traffic light, and please pull over when you hear a siren.

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Professor Phil Ward, an ant specialist with the UC Davis Department of Entomology, responds to a question below a sign that reads "We have the Antswers." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Phil Ward Ant Lab: They Provided the 'Antswers'

February 13, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's Saturday, Feb. 8--the 14th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day--and you're heading toward the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane, home of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology. You want to see the displays and chat with the scientists.

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