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.

LINNAEAN GAMES MODERATOR--Purdue entomology professor Tom Turpin moderates the annual Linnaean Games, part of the Entomological Society of America's annual meeting. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Let the Games Begin

November 18, 2008

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Quick! Name three states that have no official state insect. That was one of the questions at the Linnaean Games, a traditional part of the Entomological Society of America's annual meeting. This year's meeting, the 56th annual, is now under way in Reno. The Linnaean Games have begun.

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SPOTTED CUCUMBER BEETLE--A spotted cucumber beetle feeds on nectar in a rock purslane. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Meeting

November 17, 2008

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Last Saturday the rock purslane in our bee friendly garden drew a honey bee, several hover flies and one spotted cucumber beetle. A hover fly landed on a blossom, only to find a spotted cucumber beetle there first.

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HONEY BEE--Close-up shot of a honey bee at the Harry Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey of a Color

November 14, 2008

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Honey isn't always amber-colored. It can range from white to dark brown, depending on the flowers the bees visit. Back in 1971, a group of UC Davis bee specialists wrote a booklet, Fundamentals of California Beekeeping, published by the "University of California College of Agriculture.

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FRANK ZALOM--UC Davis professor Frank Zalom, an integrated pest management specialist, will be inducted as a Fellow in the Entomological Society of America on Sunday, Nov. 16 at its plenary session. At the same session, he will be honored as part of the UC's seven-member Almond Pest Management Alliance Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Team that will receive the Entomological Foundation’s 2008 Award for Excellence in IPM. Other team members are Carolyn Pickel, UC Cooperative Extension, Sutter-Yuba counties

A Gathering of Entomologists

November 13, 2008

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

When the Entomological Society of America's 56th annual meeting takes place Nov. 16-19 in Reno, UC Davis entomologists will be out in force. And they'll be highly honored.

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SIGN SAYS IT ALL--This sign at the Bohart Museum of Entomology offers the pros and cons of eating insects. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

I Did Not Want to Know That

November 12, 2008

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

You may not know it, but you've eaten insects. Oh, yes, you have. The other day I meandered over to the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis campus, and a sign told me that. There it was--plain as day (as if a day can be plain).

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