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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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Moth-er scientist Volkmar Heinrich, UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering, displayed his images of moths. This is the adult form of the tobacco worm, Carolina sphinx, Manduca sexta.

National Moth Week Ended But...

August 1, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
National Moth Week ended July 27 but you can go moth-ing any time. Meanwhile, here's another look at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's 2024 Moth Night, which drew widespread interest.
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The male Mantis religiosa, investigates his surroundings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Meet a Male Mantis in a Patch of Blanket Flowers

July 31, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
So there he is, a praying mantis in a patch of blanket flowers, Gaillardia, in a Vacaville garden. He's a male Mantis religiosa, as slim as a string bean, and scanning his environment. We're accustomed to seeing see the native Stagmomantis limbata in our garden, and not M.
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At the Vacaville Museum Children's Party on Aug. 8, a walk-around Queen Bee (costume from the UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program) will hand out honey sticks donated by Z Specialty Food, Woodland. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Children's Party at the Vacaville Museum: A Honey of an Event

July 29, 2024
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The Vacaville Museum Guild's annual children's party--for Vacaville children ages 3 to 9--promises to be a honey of a party. Themed "Fun on the Farm," it's an entertaining and educational event set for 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 8 in the museum courtyard, 213 Buck Ave.,Vacaville.
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