Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
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Lady beetles, aka ladybugs, "keeping busy." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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'Insect Wedding Photography' at Bohart Museum Open House

May 12th, 2025
 When the Bohart Museum of Entomology hosts its open house on Sunday, May 18, expect to see some "insect wedding photography."In other words, when insects "get busy."The theme: "Insects: Life Stages."The event, free and family friendly, takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge…
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Queen bee of the hive. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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A Queen on Mother's Day

May 9th, 2025
 If you were a honey bee queen, you'd be laying eggs all day on Mother's Day (not to mention the other days!).You'd be the mother of all the bees in the hive.During the peak season, the queen can lay up to 1500 to 2000 eggs a day. That can amount to about 50,000 to 80,000 workers (sterile females) and…
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Anise swallowtail caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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UC Davis Groundbreaking Research Began with Caterpillars

May 8th, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Groundbreaking research that began with how caterpillars stay young drew acclamation and applause when the UC Davis School of Medicine (SOM) hosted its 2025 Convergence Research Celebration, held in the UC Davis Conference Center.The joint TEDx presentation, “Staying Young, Feeling Younger, and Slowing…
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A bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenski, foraging on Echium at Bodega Bay. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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The Bumble Bees of Bodega Bay

May 7th, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Where are all the bumble bees?This spring they seem quite scarce in Solano and Yolo County gardens, but a trip to Bodega Bay, Sonoma County, reveals different results.They're all over the Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans), a species in the family Boraginaceae, and genus Echium, native to the island…
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Thriving tomato plants. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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'Knot' What You Want in Your Tomato Plants

May 6th, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 If you grow tomatoes, you may have encountered root-knot nematodes."Knot" what you want.USDA-ARS research plant pathologist William Rutter will speak on "Investigating the Mechanisms that Underlie Host Plant Resistance Against Root-Knot Nematodes" at a seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of…
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