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.

EYESPOTS on the wings of a buckeye butterfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Eyes Have It

October 21, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The eyespots--they're almost hypnotic. And that's what makes the buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia) so easily recognizable--the bold pattern of eyespots on the wings, bold enough to startle and scare away prey. This buckeye (below) fluttered along the grounds of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.

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AN ITALIAN BEE (left) and a New World Carniolan bee forage on a purple coneflower at the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Coneflower Duo

October 20, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a favorite among the autumn plants blooming in the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, the half-acre bee friendly garden planted last fall next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis.

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PRAYING MANTIS clutches a vespid wasp and prepares to eat it while a curious ant heads toward the feast. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

On a Wing and a Prayer

October 19, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It was not a good day to "stop and smell the roses." A vespid wasp apparently lingered too long on a rose--perhaps dropping by for a sip of nectar or seeking unsuspecting prey. What it found was another predator, a praying mantis looking for breakfast.

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SUSAN COBEY, noted bee breeder-geneticist, is dividing her time between the University of California, Davis, and Washington State University. (Photos by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Best of Both Springs

October 18, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Some folks have the best of both worlds. Noted bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey not only has the best of both worlds, but the best of both springs. Cobey, affiliated with the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.

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THIS PIECE, "Disappearing Mission Blue," by visual artist Carol Newborg of the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the ecoart works displayed this weekend in the Marin Civic Center Auditorium and Exhibit Hall, San Rafael. Entrance to the show, which continues through Sunday, is free.

Vanishing Pollinators

October 15, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

If you're looking for vanishing pollinators this weekend, head over to the Marin Civic Center, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael, and see the ecoart exhibit produced by WEAD, the Women Environmental Artists Directory. The occasion is the 2010 Bioneers Conference, focusing on food and farrming.

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