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 skipper on a cosmos. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Skipping Along

November 25, 2013

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

As fall fades and winter beckons, we're still seeing skipper butterflies foraging in cosmos, lantana and other flowers. Lepidopterans study 'em but we just admire 'em. Distinguishing characteristics of skippers include "clubs" on the tips of their antennae, and those huge, compound eyes.

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These jewel beetles will be displayed at the Bohart Museum's open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

All That Glitters May Be Beetles

November 22, 2013

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

All that glitters may be beetles--jewel beetles. You'll want to attend the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 1 to 4 p.m. to bask in the theme, "Beauty and the Beetles.

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When February arrives, honey bees will be out pollinating the almonds. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Feast Fit for a King and Queen (Bee)

November 21, 2013

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

You like the taste of honey, right? How about A Taste of Mead and Honey? Thats even better! The UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center is planning a "Mid-Winter Beekeepers Feast: A Taste of Mead and Honey" on Saturday, Feb.

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Honey bee visiting a cosmos. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bug Squad: Article

Fun-Loving, Sun-Loving Cosmos

November 20, 2013

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Oh, the fun-loving, sun-loving cosmos. A native of Mexico and a member of the sunflower family, Asteraceae, this plant brightens many a garden, attracting such pollinators as honey bees, bumble bees, sweat bees, hover flies and butterflies.

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A yellow-faced bumble bee on a zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bug Squad: Article

It's All About the Community

November 19, 2013

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

If you like community gardens, then you'll want to visit the Avant Garden at the corner of First and D streets in Benicia. The Benicia Community Garden (BCG) signed a lease agreement in the fall of 2010 with Estey Real Estate to establish a downtown community garden.

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