Bug Squad Logo

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. 

This flame skimmer was one of the entries accepted into the 2011 Insect Salon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Insect Salon: Fantastic Captures

November 21, 2011
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you're into macro photography of insects, you'll want to check out the amazing photos that won awards, or were accepted into the international Insect Salon competition, affiliated with the Entomological Society of America (ESA) and the Peoria Camera Club, Illinois.
View Article
Assistant professor Neal Williams and Kimiora Ward, research associate from the Williams lab, collect bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Protecting the Pollinators

November 17, 2011
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's good to see so many publications focusing on the pollinator crisis--because that's exactly what it is, a crisis. Writing for the Nature journal, Sharon Levy recently examined pollination studies that focus on the importance of pollinators and the plants they frequent.
View Article
Visitors to the Bohart Museum can hold a walking stick. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Things to be Thankful for--Bugs

November 16, 2011
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Thanksgiving will come early to the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis. An open house, appropriately themed "Thankful for Bugs," is set from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 1124 Academic Surge on California Drive. And it's free. Visitors can view insect specimens from all over the world.
View Article
The sign at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Some International Publicity

November 15, 2011
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis, and its adjacent honey bee garden, the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, received an international shot of publicity when My Extreme Animal Phobia aired last Friday on the Animal Planet Channel.
View Article
Subscribe