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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. 

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A migratory monarch butterfly nectaring on a pink zinnia in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Zinnia Nectar: Flight Fuel for the Migratory Monarchs

October 15, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Zinnias are a great nectar source for migratory monarch butterflies as they wing their way to their overwintering spots along coastal California. How much do monarchs love zinnias? So much that sometimes a monarch will touch down on a zinnia right next to you.
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Red-shouldered hawk devouring what appears to be a praying mantis. It caught the insect in the Vacaville Museum and then perched on a telephone line to eat it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Yes, Hawks Eat Insects

October 14, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Ever watched a red-shouldered hawk on a hunt? They eat a variety of prey, including small mammals, birds, snakes, lizards, fish, crayfish, insects and worms, according to the California Raptor Center (CRC), a research center that's part of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
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A bee fly, family Bombyliidae, foraging on sedum in a UC Davis garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It's Friday Fly Day!

October 11, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's Friday Fly Day, and time to post an image of a fly that masquerades as a bee. That would be "the bee fly," a fly so named because it resembles a bee Order: Diptera. Family: Bombyliidae. In its adult stage, it's a pollinator that feeds on nectar and pollen. In its larval stage, it's parasitoid.
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A crab spider eating a lygus bug, an agricultural pest in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Celebrating the Crab Spider in Arachtober

October 9, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's Arachtober and that means celebrating arachnids for the entire month of October. Well, we ought to celebrate them year around, but October is THEIR month.
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