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. Feedspot lists it as one of the top entomology blogs on the Internet.

Bee Swarm!

March 23, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Bee swarms are absolutely fascinating. Several years ago, when bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey was teaching a queen- rearing class at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis, her students received an extra bonus: they witnessed a bee swarm.

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Ladybug devouring an aphid on a rose bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ladies (and Men) in Red

March 22, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Two ladybugs, aka lady beetles, circled their little house, a 1.5-inch plastic container punctured with air holes. Up. Down. Down. Up. In a way, they seemed like hamsters on a treadmill. I don't know how long they'd been in the container, but they were anxious to leave.

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Count the insects! Ladybugs, a European paper wasp, blow fly and aphids are all over the fava beans in the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Insect Diversity in the Fava Beans

March 21, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The first day of spring--Tuesday, March 20--yielded a diversity of insects in the fava beans planted in the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee friendly garden adjacent to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, University of California,Davis.

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Derek Downey checks out a birdhouse filled with bees. The bees swarmed March 30 and are now established in a once-vacant bee box in the sanctuary. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Davis Bee Sanctuary: The Place to 'Bee'

March 20, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

(Note: Due to a forecast of heavy rain, the grand opening originally scheduled March 24 is now Saturday, March 31. The blog below reflects the change.) The Davis Bee Sanctuary is the place to "bee" on Saturday, March 31.

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Kathy Kellison, executive director of Partners for Sustainable Pollination, headquartered in Santa Rosa, delivers information to the 2011 beekeepers' booth. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Know Your California Beekeepers

March 19, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

When the annual California Ag Day takes place Wednesday, March 21 on the west side of the California State Capitol grounds, Sacramento, expect to see a lot of happy faces. This year's overall theme is "Know Your California Farmer.

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