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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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Male green sweat bee, Agapostemon texanus, nectaring on a seaside daisy, the Erigeron glaucus Wayne Roderick at Tomales Bay. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Wearing of the Green

March 16, 2012
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's St. Patrick's Day tomorrow and time for "The Wearing of the Green." "The Wearing of the Green" is actually an Irish street ballad dating back to the Irish Rebellion of 1798. The author: anonymous. The color of choice: green.
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A garden spider spinning a web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sticky Business

March 15, 2012
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you've ever watched spiders trap their prey in their sticky webs, you've probably wondered: "Why don't spiders stick to their own webs?" We've watched countless spiders trap honey bees, syrphid flies and other hapless critters in their webs.
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Aphids cover a rose bud. Some aphids can complete a generation in five days. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ask the Bug Doctor

March 14, 2012
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Okay, what's the heaviest insect in the world? The longest? The fastest runner? The fastest flying insect? The loudest? The smallest? The insect with the greatest wingspan?
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Queen and her court. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Those 'Immoral' Honey Bee Queens

March 13, 2012
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The news headlines screamed "immoral" and "promiscuous." The story was not about a red light district or "Ladies of the Night" or even linked to humans. It was about honey bee queens. "Ladies of the Day," if you will.
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Kelly Hamby, seeking her doctorate in entomology from UC Davis, works on spotted wing drosophila research in the Frank Zalom lab. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Post Here, Please

March 12, 2012
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It promises to be both exciting and informative. Some 200 freshmen at the University of California, Davis will present their research posters on career explorations from 3:10 to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 in Freeborn Hall.
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