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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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Doctoral candidate Alison Blundell delivering her award-winning presentation in the 12-minute student competition at the international Society of Nematologists. She won second place. (Photo by Veronica Casey)

Congrats to Our UC Davis Nematology Doctoral Students

August 20, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Nematodes are where it's at! Two UC Davis nematology doctoral students were invited to give research presentations at the international Society of Nematologists' conference in Park City, Utah and they excelled.
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UC Davis research shows that rising temperatures are particularly alarming to some bumble bee species, including the Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis. This one was located on Aug. 15, 2012 in the Mt. Shasta area. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble Bees: Feeling Impact of Climate Change

August 19, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
We remember the reaction of Robbin Thorp (1933-2019), UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor of entomology and an international authority on bumble bees, when he spotted a lone Western bumble bee, Bombus occidentalis, on Aug. 15, 2012 in the Mt. Shasta area.
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Two Western spotted cucumber beetles, Diabrotica undecimpunctata, on a Coreposis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Seeing Spots and Holes?

August 16, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
So there you are, admiring your Coreopsis and suddenly you notice spots and holes--spots on the backs of two western spotted cucumber beetles, and holes cut in the petals. Ah, there's two of them. The beetles, about a fourth of an inch long, are fun to photograph, but they're not your buddies.
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A honey bee foraging on Gaillardia during The Golden Hour in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Golden Hour, Golden Bee on Gaillardia

August 14, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Photographers call the first hour after dawn and the last hour before dusk "The Golden Hour." That's when the sunlight is softer and warmer. It's also called "The Magic Hour.
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