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 visits Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa) a native California wildflower. This photo was taken April 2 on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tiptoeing Through the Tidy Tips

April 2, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's not spring until you see honey bees, carpenter bees and butterflies on Tidy Tips. That would be Layia platyglossa, a wildflower native to southern California. Its common name is "Tidy Tips" or "Coastal Tidy Tips." It's a daisylike flower with yellow petals tipped in white, thus the name.

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WESTERN HERCULES BEETLES--This is the original drawing by UC Davis undergraduate student Courtney Lambert that graces a Bohart Museum of Entomology T-shirt. The T-shirt is part of the Bohart Museum's educational and outreach program. Proceeds are used to provide continuing undergraduate support and training at the Bohart.

Big, Bold and Beleagured

April 1, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Theyre big, bold and beleaguered. And now, theyre big, bold and finely detailed. Western Hercules beetles became a part of the Bohart Museum of Entomologys educational and outreach program this month through a T-shirt design thats drawing raves.

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PAINTED LADIES are now passing through north-central California. This one passed through during the 2005 migration. (Photo courtesy of Arthur Shapiro)

Painted Ladies Are Back

March 31, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The painted ladies are back. No, not the Victorian and Edwardian homes painted in three colors. No, not women wearing excessive amounts of makeup and pounding the sidewalk with their stiletto heels. These are BUTTERFLIES.

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ON CAMERA--Joe Wolohan films Lynn Kimsey at the Bohart Museum of Entomology for Animal Witness. The filming took place July 17, 2008. The documentary will air April 6 and again on April 10 on Animal Witness, part of Animal Planet. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bugs in My Alibi

March 30, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Remember the landmark "insects-on-the-radiator" trial that led to a murder conviction? Animal Witness, part of Animal Planet, will soon be showcasing the work that UC Davis insect identification expert Lynn Kimsey did as an expert witness in the trial.

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OUTSTANDING TEACHER--Andrea Lucky, doctoral candidate, UC Davis Department of Entomology, has been named recipient of an Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Excellence in Lab, Field and Classroom

March 27, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Today we salute Andrea Lucky. To be perfectly frank, anyone who takes a class from her is a lucky person indeed. For excellence in teaching in the lab, field and classroom, UC Davis entomology doctoral candidate Andrea Lucky has won a 2009 UC Davis Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award.

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