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)
Primary Image
SPECTACULAR PHOTOGRAPHY of entomologist Rollin Coville, who received his doctorate in entomology from UC Berkeley, graces the 2010 Native Bees Calendar, a fundraising project of the Xerces Society and the Great Sunflower Project. (Photos courtesy of Rollin Coville)
Bug Squad: Article

Native Bee Calendar Focuses on 'Pin-Up Girls'--and Boys

November 20, 2009
Humans aren't the only calendar pin-up models. Think native bees. Think the 2010 Native Bees Calendar. The Xerces Society and the Great Sunflower Project have joined forces to produce a calendar showcasing 12 commonly found native bees.
View Article
Primary Image
LADYBUG crawls on a leaf at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

What's Bugging the Ladybug?

November 19, 2009
It probably bugs her but it doesn't kill her. But why? An entomologist at the University of Montreal is investigating why parasitic wasps (Dinocampus coccinellae) that lay their eggs on ladybugs (Coccinella maculata) do not kill them. Often a parasitic insect, such as a tachinid fly, kills its host.
View Article
Primary Image
SLOW-MOVING yellow-legged paper wasp, Mischocyttarus flavitarsis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Waist Not, Want Not

November 18, 2009
A buggy thing happened on the way to a meeting. As we left Briggs Hall, a three-story building on the UC Davis campus that houses the Department of Entomology, we noticed a wasp at our feet.
View Article
Primary Image
THE RESEARCHERS--Maurice and Catherine Tauber in Brazil.
Bug Squad: Article

The Taubers: Legends in the Entomological World

November 17, 2009
They met and married in the 1960s when they were studying for their doctorates in entomology at UC Berkeley. They established exemplary careers in entomology at Cornell University. Now, at retirement age, they've moved back to Northern California. Meet Drs.
View Article
Primary Image
BEEKEEPER AND ARTIST Andrew Tyzack of East Riding, Yorkshire, UK, with his bees. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Tyzack)
Bug Squad: Article

Bees in Art

November 16, 2009
Bees engage us. They fascinate, charm and inspire us. Last Sunday morning, as the temperature climbed from 40 to 50 degrees, the honey bees joined us in our garden. They buzzed in and out of the autumn blossoms, gathering pollen and nectar.
View Article