Bug Squad Logo

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. 

Primary Image
Western spotted orb weaver snares and wraps a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Labor Day Travails

September 2, 2013
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Today (Labor Day) began just like any other day. And it ended just like any other day, except for the Labor Day celebrations that we humans plan. For Nature's predators and prey that frequent our garden, however, it was an intertwining of life and death.
View Article
Primary Image
A Carniolan honey bee sipping water from a fountain. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Why Honey Bees Need Water

August 30, 2013
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Ever seen honey bees foraging for water on your outdoor clothesline? When Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the University of California, Davis, addresses beekeeping associations, he tells them to "always provide water for your bees on your property.
View Article
Primary Image
This photo, by Stephen Daubert, is of a variable checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona.
Bug Squad: Article

Off to See the Butterflies

August 29, 2013
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you're not around the University of California, Davis, on Sunday morning, Sept. 29, you should be. You'll want to join the Butterfly Ecology Talk and Tour presented by naturalist Steve Daubert.
View Article
Primary Image
A western spotted orb weaver, Neoscona oaxacensis, finishing its web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Acrobatic Spider

August 28, 2013
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Oh, what serious webs they weave. Perfect concentric circles. Perfect for snagging prey. Perfect for capturing a few photographic images. Orb weavers take on the classic shape popularized by Charlotte the spider in E.B. White's children's book, Charlotte's Web.
View Article
Primary Image
A European paper wasp on the hunt. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Terminator

August 27, 2013
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
So here you are, a Gulf Fritillary caterpillar, chowing down on the leaves of a passionflower vine.
View Article