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.

Honey bee on a bottlebrush at the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Brush With Bees

November 18, 2013

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

If you plant a bottlebrush in your yard, you'll experience a brush with kindness. This time of year there's not much food for honey bees to eat. Bottlebrush, in the genus Callistemon and family Myrtaceae, fits the bill. We captured this image Oct.

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Eric Mussen and the famous bee sting photo showing a bee stinging his wrist. This mounted photo will be auctioned off at the California State Beekeepers' Association conference. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Someone's Going Home with a Piece of Him

November 15, 2013

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

There's no doubt about it. Honey bee guru Eric Mussen, Extension apiculturist with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology since 1976 and an upcoming retiree, will be "roasted" at the California State Beekeepers' Association conference, to be held Nov 19-21 at Lake Tahoe, Nev.

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This honey bee is doing poorly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What's Wrong with My Bees?

November 14, 2013

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

"What's wrong with my bees?" That's a question frequently asked of Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Fact is, he's an "unbee-lievable" wealth of information.

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A ladybug (lady beetle) graces salvia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Beauty and the Beetles

November 13, 2013

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

You've heard of "The Beauty and the Beast?" A fairy tale? How about "The Beauty and the Beetles?" No fairy tale. That's the theme of the open house on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 1 to 4 p.m.

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This bed bug was a popular attraction at a Briggs Hall display during the 2012 UC Davis Picnic Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bed Bugs: 'Stealthy Blood Feeders'

November 12, 2013

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Bed bug behavior? Fascinating! Just ask Kenneth Haynes. "Despite their proclivity to hide near to where we sleep and stealthily feed on our blood, bed bugs are extremely fascinating insects," he writes on his website.

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