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)

MALARIA MOSQUITO, Anopheles gambiae, blood-feeding. This photo was taken by Anthony Cornel, associate professor of entomology at UC Davis.

World Malaria Day at UC Davis

March 31, 2011

Mark your calendars for a sobering experience. The University of California,Davis, will observe World Malaria Day with a daylong retreat showcasing UC Davis scientists current research in vector biology and genetics. The event, free and open to the public, will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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RESEARCHER Ian Pearse, a doctoral candidate who studies with major professor Rick Karban at the UC Davis Department of Entomology, examines some oak apple galls. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Lot of Gall

March 30, 2011

Those oak trees (Quercus lobata) in Californias Central Valley have a lot of gall.

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COACH Larry Godfrey, Extension entomologist with the UC Davis Department of Entomology, calls out questions during a practice session. The graduate students (from left) are Matan Shelomi, Meredith Cenzer and Emily Symmes. Not pictured is James Harwood. The team just won the Linnaean Games at the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America and will now compete in the nationals. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sudden-Death Question

March 29, 2011

Quick! What's the answer to this question? "I am a blood feeder; I have no hair but have a comb.

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TINY EGG, a future honey bee queen, is moved from a comb to a queen cell cup at the Strachan Apiaries in Yuba City. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bug Squad: Article

Queen Bee to Be

March 28, 2011

One of the highlights of Susan Cobey's class on "The Art of Queen Bee Rearing" is a visit to commercial queen bee breeders in Northern California. Cobey is a bee breeder-geneticist at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis, and Washington State University.

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HONEY BEE sips water from a rain-soaked napkin. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Have a Drink on Me

March 25, 2011

Diners know that a napkin serves a good purpose: touch the lips with it or protect the lap. Well, honey bees occasionally use a napkin, too. A recent sun break--blue skies, 70-degree temperatures, no rain--resulted in honey bees foraging for water on a rain-soaked napkin on the patio.

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