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.

Pregnant praying mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Mother to Be

September 14, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Ever seen a pregnant praying mantis? Someone on wikianswers.com asked the question: "What does a pregnant praying mantis look like?" The question drew only one response: "Big and fat.

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Fisheye of Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia) in the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Fisheye View of the Garden

September 13, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

When I was teaching photography, I encouraged my students to go for the angles--from a bug's eye view to a bird's eye view. Holding a camera chest-high or at eye level renders the "same-o, same o" photos. Yet another creative way to see the world is through a fisheye lens.

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Italian bee nectaring on lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Flower Lovers: The Bees

September 13, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

What do you know about bees, and what would you like to learn about them? Visit the University of California, Davis campus on Saturday, Sept. 15, and you will see (1) bee specimens from all over the world and (2) bees and other pollinators in their natural habitat.

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Worker bees--sisters--sharing nectar at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sister, Can You Spare Some Food?

September 11, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

We can all learn from the honey bees. Worker bees--sisters--are like feeding machines. They not only feed each other, but feed the queen and their brothers, the drones. It's a marvelous sight to see, nectar being passed from one bee to another.

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Male European carder bee (left) targets a honey bee on catmint. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Aggressor

September 10, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Talk about aggression. Talk about bullying. Talk about power maneuvers.

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