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.

Morpho butterfly, a genus that Phil DeVries studies. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What Butterflies Tell Us About Tropical Diversity

February 3, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

What do butterflies tell us about tropical diversity? Take it from an expert. Tropical ecologist Philip DeVries of the Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, will discuss the topic at his lecture on Thursday, Feb. 9 at the University of California, Davis.

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Ladybugs, aka lady beetles, in fava beans. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bug Lovin'

February 2, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

In a pre-Valentine's Day event, officials at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, are planning a Bug Lovin' theme for their next open house. It will be a lovefest of bugs! The event, free and open to the public, will take place from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb.

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A jumping spider, probably Phidippus johnsoni, eyes the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

How Jumping Spiders Communicate

February 1, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Those jumping spiders certainly can jump. Last summer we spotted what appeared to be the red-backed jumping spider, Phidippus johnsoni (famiiy Salticidae), stalking native bees and honey bees in our yard.

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Benicia resident Gordon Hough stops to check for honey bees at the Benicia State Park. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Almonds a' Bloomin'

January 31, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Almond pollination season in California traditionally begins around Valentine's Day. This year, however, thanks to the unseasonably warm weather, almond trees began blooming in late January in some parts of Central California. Take the city of Benicia.

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Tachinid fly "in the pink." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Taking on the Tachinids

January 30, 2012

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

They're hairy. They're bristly. They're attention-getters. They probably draw more "yecchs!" than most insects. All the more reason to love 'em. Frankly, the tachinids (family Tachinidae, order Diptera) could never be misidentified as honey bees, as some pollinators such as hover flies, are.

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