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.

A HONEY BEE decorates a quilt at the 134th annual Dixon May Fair. Here Interior Living Showcase superintendent Debee Lamont gets ready to hang the quilt. It's the work of Shirley Geertson of Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Insects Are Nearly Everywhere

May 6, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

"Insects are the most successful animals that have ever existed on Earth and have been around for just over 400 million years," writes George Gavin in Insects, an American Nature Guide published by Smithmark Publishers, N.Y.

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ROCK PURSLANE (Calandrinia grandiflora) opens in the morning sun. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Like a Rock

May 5, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora) attracts its share of insects. This morning the brilliant magenta blossoms drew honey bees, carpenter bees and hover flies.

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CRANE FLY, also known as a "mosquito hawk," nestles among the blades of grass. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Not Your Basic Giant Mosquito

May 4, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It looks like a giant mosquito. But it isn't. It's a crane fly (family Tipulidae), also known as a "mosquito hawk." It's a slender, long-legged insect that cats like to target. Our cat, Xena the Warrior Princess, loves to bat them out of the air--and then look around for more.

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THIS REGULARLY WATERED PLANT at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis, provides a steady supply of water for bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

C'mon In, the Water's Fine!

May 1, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Ever seen bees at a watering hole? Bees not only bring back nectar, pollen and propolis to the hive, but also water.

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Pollen-packing honey bee in winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) in Storer Gardens, University of California, Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What's Happening with the Bees?

April 30, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

What's happening with the honey bees? Those following the mysterious phenomonen known as colony collapse disorder (CCD)--characterized by bees abandoning their hives--are eagerly waiting the latest developments.

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