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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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A male yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, nectaring on a purple coneflower in Salem, Ore. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble Bee Contest Is Over!

January 17, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The 2025 bumble bee contest is over. Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis announced today that "we have a winner" in the fifth annual Robbin Thorp Memorial First-Bumble-Bee-of-the-Year Contest, sponsored by the Bohart Museum.
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Distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, Robbin Thorp (Aug. 26, 1933-June 7, 2019), detected more than 80 species of bees in the garden. This image was taken in April 2011. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

No Bumble Bee Winner Yet

January 15, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Update: No bumble bee winner yet. No announcements as of today regarding the winner of the fifth annual Robbin Thorp Memorial First-Bumble Bee-of-the-Year Contest, sponsored by the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
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A honey bee foraging on flowering quince, a member of the rose family. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Flowering Quince: A Sure Sign of Spring

January 14, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Spring won't arrive until March 19, but don't tell that to the honey bees foraging on the flowering quince. Flowering quince, an early spring bloomer, is blooming here now.
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The UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day scientists and volunteers will be wearing purple T-shirts that feature the nine museums or collections.

Feb. 8 is UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day: A Super Science Day

January 13, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Have you ever wished that you and your family and friends could visit the UC Davis campus and chat with the scientists about their research and see their work? You can. The 14th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, also known as "Super Science Day," is set for Saturday, Feb. 8.
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