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)

Cole and Conner: Young Entomologists Cultivating Curiosities

December 23, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
  Remember Cole Cramer and Connor Hsu, the two Southern California insect enthusiasts who met as pre-teens at the 2022 Bio Boot Camp at UC Davis? They became fast friends, joined professional entomological societies, and formed a youth entomology group, the Lorquin Society…
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Ant and scale insects sharing a mistletoe. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Hanging Out With Mistletoe

December 22, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Are you hanging out beneath the mistletoe? Or know someone who is? Maybe Mommy kissing Santa Claus?Scales and ants may be hanging out, too.The two insects maintain a classic mutualistic symbiosis in which ants "farm" scale insects for their sweet honeydew.  It's a beneficial arrangement: scales…
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Bug Bytes newsletter, 2025 in Review

UC Davis Department Newsletter in Review

December 19, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology today published its 2025 "News in Review," with a message from the administration--Joanna Chiu, professor and department chair, and Rachel Vannette, professor and vice chair--and featuring highlights of the year."We recognize our roots," the…
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Waving goodbye in Burundi. (Photo by Jenny Carlson Donnelly)

Lost Science, A Lost Job, A Loss to Global Public Health

December 18, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 The "Lost Science" column of the New York Times recently focused on Jenny Carlson Donnelly, a UC Davis doctoral alumna who lost her job earlier this year as a Malaria Outbreak Emergency Advisor for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) due to Trump administration cuts.USAID,…
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A frame of honeycomb. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Honey of a Gift

December 17, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Can't think of a gift to buy for the beekeepers, food enthusiasts, naturalists, environmental educators, and honey and mead lovers in your life? It gets a little sticky, doesn't it? Sometimes really sticky.To the rescue...a couple of Santa's helpers...The California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP…
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