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
This image of Kim Flottum, taken May 20, 2010 at UC Davis, shows a live bee next to his bee pin. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Kim Flottum: Friend of Beekeepers and Bees

December 11, 2023
We are saddened to hear of the death of Peter "Kim" Flottum, longtime editor of Bee Culture magazine, a friend of the nation's beekeepers and bee scientists, and a close friend of the UC Davis bee community. A resident of Medina, Ohio, Kim died Sunday, Dec. 10 at his home of lung cancer at age 76.
View Article
Primary Image
A monarch caterpillar sharing a milkweed leaf with oleander aphids on Dec. 8, 2023 in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Monarch 'Cats Sleeping with the Aphids

December 8, 2023
Sleeping with the aphids...that's what this monarch caterpillar was doing. It lived--and quite hidden at that--through the freezing cold, the rain, and the wind. It surfaced today on a milkweed in our Vacaville pollinator garden.
View Article
Primary Image
A monarch sips nectar from lantana near a Vacaville supermarket. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Mantis vs. a Monarch

December 7, 2023
Can a praying mantis catch a monarch? Yes, it can. And yes, it does. It was Sept. 14, 2013. As I approached a Vacaville supermarket, I noticed pink lantana blooming furiously near the entrance, and then, a familiar-looking butterfly quietly sipping nectar. "Ah, there's a monarch," I observed.
View Article