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.

UP ON TOP--A tachinid rests on top of a lavender. This is a female of a Peleteria species, a common genus in southwestern United States. The genus is characterized by two prominent setae in front of the lower part of the eye.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tiptoeing Through the Lavender

September 29, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Ever seen a tachinid tiptoeing through the lavender? The tachinids are parasitic flies that lay their eggs in hosts such as Lepidoptera (butterfly) caterpillars. As larvae, they live in and kill their hosts. As adults, they sip nectar and other plant juices.

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HONEY BEE pauses after nectaring the purple Penstamon and begins to extend her tongue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tongue in Cheek

September 28, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The honey bee nectaring the Penstemon, aka Beardtongue, in Tomales, Calif., didn't seem to mind my presence. Perfect. The amber-colored bee was foraging among the purple two-lipped flowers.

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MONARCH BUTTERFLY nectaring in the Luther Burbank Gardens, Santa Rosa. The Luther Burbank home is in the background. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It's in the Antennae

September 25, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Surprise: it's in the antennae! Neurobiologists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have long wondered how monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) can migrate from across eastern North America to a specific grove of fir trees in Mexico.

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CHEMICAL ECOLOGIST Walter Leal (center) works with Aline Guidolin (left) and Diogo Vidal, two young scientists from Brazil. (Photos by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ag Ambassadors from Brazil

September 24, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Two highly talented and enthusiastic university students from Brazil have joined the Walter Leal lab in the Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, as part of a unique and growing international agricultural exchange program. The program is known as SUSPROT.

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HONEY BEE nectars from a blue sage, Salvia guaranitica, shortly after a carpenter bee pierced the calyx. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sage Advice

September 23, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Sage advice: If you're thinking of planting a bee friendly garden, think sage. Also commonly known as salvia, this bee friendly plant belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae. The Salvia genus includes some 900 species, so your choices are good.

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