Bug Squad

A daily (M-F) blog launched Aug. 6, 2008 and about the wonderful world of insects and those who study them. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Primary Image
The search is on to collect the first cabbage white butterfly of the year in the three-county area of Yolo, Sacramento and Solano. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Two Insect Contests: One Winner, One to Go

January 2, 2024
One down, one to go! We have a winner in the 4th annual Robbin Thorp Memorial First-Bumble-Bee-of-the-Year Contest, sponsored by the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Details are being gathered, with the winner to be announced soon.
View Article
Primary Image
UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Art Shapiro (right) of the Department of Evolution and Ecology and Louie Yang, professor, Department of Entomology and Nematology at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's recent open house on monarchs. (PHoto by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Turning Over an Old Leaf

January 1, 2024
It's New Year's Day and it's common for folks to turn over a new leaf. What about the old leaves? Sometimes if you turn over an old leaf this time of year in Solano and Yolo counties, you might find a monarch caterpillar.
View Article
Primary Image
A golden dung fly, Scathophaga stercoraria, peers at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

2023: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

December 29, 2023
There's no fame, fortune or glory in writing a daily (volunteer) Bug Squad blog. It's about the insects. It's always been about the insects, from honey bees to bumble bees, to butterflies, to dragonflies, to praying mantises and more.
View Article
Primary Image
The Kniphofia "Christmas Cheer" poker plant, seen here in the Ruth Risdon Storer Garden and nearby area, grows in clumps. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Spreading Some Holiday Cheer

December 28, 2023
If you've lately visited the Ruth Risdon Storer Garden, part of the 100-acre UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, you've seen them. Honey bees nectaring on the Kniphofia "Christmas Cheer" poker plant.
View Article