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)
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Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology peers at a praying mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up Close and Personal with Praying Mantis

August 31, 2011
The last time we encountered a praying mantis it was waiting for prey on a plant by the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis. Then we saw two more that day in front of the Laidlaw facility. They jumped on us while we were watching the first one.
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Praying mantis exploring its surroundings at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Stalking a Praying Mantis

August 30, 2011
Well, hello there! A praying mantis, perfectly camouflaged in bushes outside the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis, was searching for prey when we spotted it.
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UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi (left) with Melissa "Missy" Borel. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It's All About the Bees

August 29, 2011
It's all about the bees. And the other pollinators. And the plants. We were glad to see that Melissa "Missy" Borel, program manager of the California Center for Urban Horticulture at UC Davis, recently received a much deserved honor for her work in making the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven a reality.
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Western tiger swallowtail nectaring Mexican sunflowers. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

'Tiger' in the Tithonia

August 26, 2011
Sometimes you can't get within 20 feet of a Western tiger swallowtail butterfly (Papillo rutulus). Sometimes it's a matter of inches.
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Mama spider snares two in one web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Two for One

August 25, 2011
Mama said there'd be days like this, There'd be days like this, Mama said... When Van Morrison wrote the lyrics to "Days Like This," a song popularized by The Shirelles, he probably wasn't thinking of a mama garden spider or her prey.
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