Bug Squad

A daily (M-F) blog launched Aug. 6, 2008 and about the wonderful world of insects and those who study them. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Leia Matern (far left) shows Vivienne Statham (center) and Tilly Matern the honey bee observation hive. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Let's Hear It for 'The Buzz'

November 19, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's such a joy to see little kids fascinated with bugs. The UC Davis-based Bohart Museum of Entomology, home of nearly eight million insect specimens, is a good place to start.

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Worker bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, foraging on a California poppy. (Photo by Gary Zamzow)

California Poppy: No Nectar, Just Pollen

November 16, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The latest edition of Fremontia, a publication of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), is devoted to the state's declining prairies and grasslands. "Humans are largely responsible" for this decline, writes editor Bob Hass.

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Doris Longwing (Lapus doris viridis) at Puentes Colgantes near Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica. (Photo by Hans Hillewaert, Courtesy of Wikipeda)

Those Fascinating Heliconius Butterflies

November 15, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Those fascinating Heliconius butterflies... Heliconius butterflies will take center stage, so to speak, when James Mallet of Harvard University presents a lecture at the University of California, Davis on Wednesday, Nov. 28.

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Bee observation hive will be one of the attractions at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bohart Museum Open House: Insect Societies!

November 14, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

If you're looking for something to do on Sunday, Nov. 18--something both fun and educational--you'll want to attend the Bohart Museum of Entomologys open house. The theme is "Insect Societies," featuring honey bees, ants and termites.

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Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, casts a shadow. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Casting a Long Shadow

November 13, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

We probably won't see the Gulf Fritilliary (Agraulis vanillae) laying eggs any more this year on our passion flower vine. Cool weather has set in, the rains are coming, and the butterfly season is ending. But just for a little while, the Gulf Frit obliged us with its shadow.

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