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.

Honey bee takes a liking to a bulbine in mid-December in the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Big on the Bulbines

December 29, 2011

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's like a spray of sunshine in the depths of winter. The Bulbine frutescens, native to the desert grasslands of South Africa, is blooming well in the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.

View Article

Queen bee insemination, perfected by bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey of UC Davis and Washington State University, can help aid the troubled bee industry. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Building a Better Bee

December 28, 2011

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

You won't find anyone more passionate about building a better bee than bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey, who holds dual appointments at the University of California, Davis and Washington State University.

View Article

Be a Beekeeper, Not a Bee-Haver

December 27, 2011

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

If you're planning to join the ranks of backyard beekeepers in 2012, you should keep a few things in mind, says Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology.

View Article

The 'Teddy Bear' Bee

December 26, 2011

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Lots of youngsters received teddy bears as holiday gifts. But native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, received a teddy bear, too. Of sorts.

View Article

James Heydon, 10, of Davis, admires a “bug” wreath made by Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Yuletime Is Bug Time

December 23, 2011

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Gotta love those entomologists and all the "bug people" who love bugs. The folks at the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus not only love their bugs but they're quite creative in showcasing them.

View Article