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.

HONEY BEE in flight at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis. Scientists say the bee is more fuel efficient than even the most fuel-efficient car; the bee can get nearly 5 million miles to the gallon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Fuels Rush In

February 25, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

How fuelish is the honey bee? Is it as fuel-efficient as say, the new Volkswagen that gets an estimated 170 miles per gallon, more MPG than any other vehicle? National Public Radio recently posted an interesting article on its Web site comparing the VW with the HB (the honey bee, Apis mellifera).

View Article

APICULTURIST ERIC MUSSEN stands amid the almond blossoms at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis. He is the 2010 winner of the statewide Pedro Ilic Outstanding Agriculture Educator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An A-Plus for "The B Guy"

February 24, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Eric Mussen is used to fielding questions about honey bees--how and why they gather nectar, honey, propolis and water; how many eggs a queen bee can lay in a day; and why beekeeper use smokers.

View Article

LADYBUG searching for aphids on a leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Polka-Dotted Insects: Here They Come

February 23, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Ladybugs are easy to "spot." As soon as the weather warms and those dratted plant-sucking aphids emerge, here come the polka-dotted ladybugs. The prey and the predator. The pest and the beneficial insect. The bad and the good. Actually, many folks have already reported ladybug sightings.

View Article

ALMOND TREES throughout California, including this one at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis, are in full bloom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Protecting Our Pollinators

February 22, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's not too early to start thinking about NPW. NPW? National Pollinator Week. The fourth annual National Pollinator Week, set June 21-27, is a time not only to remember the pollinators, but to celebrate them.

View Article

ROSEMARY GILLESPIE, director of the Essig Museum of Entomology, University of California, Berkeley, and chair of the Berkeley Natural History Museums, will be UC Davis on Feb. 24 to speak on "Community Assembly through Adaptive Radiation: Spiders on Islands.”

From UC Berkeley to UC Davis

February 19, 2010

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The arthropod community at UC Davis--and beyond--has circled the date, Wednesday, Feb. 24. It's not just the last Wednesday of the month.

View Article