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 nectars a sunflower at the 2008 California State Fair, Sacramento. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sunny Days Ahead

March 26, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The Berkeley City Council did the right thing. The council members voted this week to landscape city parks and open spaces with pollinator-friendly plants. The plan: to provide a friendly habitat and food source for pollinators, especially honey bees.

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PEST MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST Charles Summers, stationed at the UC Kearney Agricultural Center, is the recipient of the 2009 Charles Woodworth Award from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America. Here he works with reflective mulches. (Photo by Edwin Remsberg, USDA)

Charlie Summers: Outstanding in His Field

March 25, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Charles "Charlie" Summers is outstanding in his field. And come Monday, March 30, the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America will honor the University of California entomologist whose career spans 39 years in the pest management of field and vegetable crops.

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THIS NATIVE POLLINATOR is a female sweat bee (Halictus tripartitus), so nicknamed because it is attracted to sweat. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Wild Bees: Alternative Pollinators

March 24, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Scientists have long been studying alternative pollinators, especially with the decline of the honey bee population and growing concerns about "How will we pollinate our crops?

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THE VISITOR--A honey bee gathers nectar on salvia (sage), a popular plant in bee friendly gardens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Buzz in Berkeley

March 23, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

An article in today's San Francisco Chronicle indicated that the Berkeley City Council is "poised to transform all the city's parks and open spaces into habitats for bees." That's the kind of news we need more of, more often.

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CLOSE--A beekeeper smokes a hive at Olivarez Honey Bees, Inc. in Orland. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Matter of Perspective

March 20, 2009

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

To really know the honey bee industry, visit an apiary or bee yard. From a distance, you'll see a beekeeper working the hives. Look closer, and you'll see bees landing on visitors. Look even closer, and you'll see an individual bee going about her work.

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