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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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Hummingbird nectaring on flowers in the UC Davis Bee Haven.

TOC Day: Learning About the Pollinators in the UC Davis Bee Haven

May 1, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Children of UC Davis and UC Davis Health System employees learned about the birds and the bees (and other pollinators) at the recent Take Our Children (TOC) to Work Day, hosted by the UC Davis Bee Haven. The sights and sounds captivated the special visitors: honey bees buzzed, Western tiger…
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ransmission electron micrograph of Wolbachia within an insect cell. (Wikipedia)

A Powerful Biological Tool for Targeting Mosquitoes?

April 30, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 A powerful biological tool for targeting mosquitoes?UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow Lyna Ngor of the UC Irvine Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, will discuss "Exploring Flower-Mediated Wolbachia Transmission: A Self-Sustaining Approach to Mosquito-Borne Disease Control" at the UC…
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Professor and bee scientist Elina Lastro Niño examining a frame.

The Art and Science of Rearing Queen Bees

April 29, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 If you're a beekeeper interested in learning how to rear queen bees, this is for you!The UC California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP) is offering an in-person Queen-Rearing Techniques Short Course (QRTSC) on Saturday and Sunday, May 30-31 at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee…
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Beekeeper looking at frame of bees.

Congrats, Rob Page, Newly Elected Member of NAS!

April 28, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 "I'm ecstatic," said internationally renowned bee scientist Robert E. Page Jr.,  when hearing this morning that he's a newly elected member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).So are we! And so well deserved. UC Davis and Arizona State University (ASU) colleagues are among those…
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Emeline Huffaker greets guests at the Bohart Museum of Entomology.

Special Day at the Bohart Museum

April 27, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 You've heard of "Mommy and Me" photos, right?Well, let's add bugs:  "Mommy and Me--and Bugs!" Or "Daddy and Me--and Bugs!"That's was basically the scenario when  UC Davis and UC Health System employees and their offspring visited the Bohart Museum of Entomology for the campuswide event, "Take…
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