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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 female praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, poses for a portrait in a Lantana patch in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying or Preying or Peering

September 24, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Praying, preying, or peering? This female praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, selects a patch of red Lantana to watch for pollinators. Her spiked forelegs resting, her eyes always watching but her body as still as a stone, she makes an incredible predator portrait.
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Entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum's Lepidoptera collections, shows visitors how to spread the wings of a butterfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Curator Jeff Smith: Spreading the Wings of Butterflies

September 23, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Do you know how to spread the wings of a butterfly specimen? It's not as easy as it looks, but entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology's Lepidoptera collection, makes it look easy. If you attend the Bohart Museum open house, set from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept.
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