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.

CHEMICAL ECOLOGIST Walter Leal working in his UC Davis lab. His lab revealed the secret mode of the insect repellent DEET in groundbreaking research published in 2008.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

'The Treacherous Scent of a Human'

March 16, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's a killer, pure and simple. But the issue is as complex as it comes. The malaria mosquito, from the genus Anopheles, infects some 350 to 500 million people a year, killing more than a million. Most are young children in sub-Saharan Africa.

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THIS HONEY BEE nectaring a backyard nectarine tree looks like stained glass. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Our Little Agricultural Workers in the Big Apple

March 15, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

If you've ever strolled the streets of New York, you probably noticed a few honey bees here and there. Not the HIVES (they're illegal), but the BEES. Tomorrow, the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will vote on whether city residents can keep bees in the Big Apple.

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What's Wrong With This Photo?

March 12, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Take a close look. What's wrong with the first photo posted below this blog? If you're a beekeeper or someone who's been around bees, you'll know immediately. If not, you may look at the photo and say "Hmm, a honey bee. Yep, it's a honey bee, all right. It's on a what...

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THIS KELLY GREEN walking stick is the impetus behind the Bohart Museum's special theme, "What Has Six Legs and Is Green All Over?" The Bohart will focus on what's green from 1 to 5 p.m., Sunday, March 21 in a special St. Paddy's Day theme. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Going Green

March 11, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

What has six legs and is green all over? If you think like an entomologist, that's easy. Walking sticks, walking leaves, mantids, crickets and grasshoppers...

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HONEY BEE, packing red pollen from nearby rock purslane blossoms, nectars lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Benefit for the Bees

March 10, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

First question: Concerned about the declining bee population and deteriorating bee health? Second question: Like to paint, draw, sculpt or photograph honey bees? Or craft bee jewelry? Or use another art medium?

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