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.

Yellowjackets!

November 26, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Yellowjackets is a word you never want to end with a period, but with an exclamation point! They probably annoy you when they invite themselves to your barbecue to partake of your hamburger and other protein-rich foods. They're persistent predators.

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HONEY BEE foraging on pomegranate blossom. Without bees, there would be no pomegranates. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bee-ing Thankful

November 25, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

President Obama just pardoned a couple of turkeys--Apple and Cider. They won't make it to the White House Thanksgiving dinner today. But what he could have done--when he was pardoning the turkeys--was to praise the honey bees.

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SPOTLIGHTING bees, the North American Bee Calendar features 12 species of bees. Some are pictured here. Most of the photos are by noted insect photographer Rollin Coville. (The honey bee is the work of Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Mark Your Calendar

November 24, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Mark your calendar. If you're a bee aficionada and haven't ordered your educational North American Bee Calendar, you have until Tuesday, Nov. 30 to place your order. It's for a good cause.

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ROSE GARDEN--The All-America Rose Selections (AARS) Test Garden on Hopkins Road, UC Davis, features 30 new rose varieties--and insects have their pick. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Insects Find This Garden Rosy

November 23, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's the kind of rose garden that Joe South would write about. The Grammy-award winning songwriter-guitarist who wrote "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" (popularized by country singer Lynn Anderson), has probably never seen this rose garden, though.

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HONEY BEE foraging at the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

So Much Has Happened...

November 22, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's a romantic getaway. Say "San Ysidro Ranch" and someone will tell you that John F. Kennedy and his bride, Jackie, honeymooned there in September 1953. So much has happened since then. JFK went on to win the presidency in 1961 and tragically, 47 years ago today--Nov.

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