Bug Squad Logo

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. 

Primary Image
Mantis in a yucca plant. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Mantis and the Yucca

August 6, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Honey bees and other pollinators visit blooming yucca for the nectar.It's not a good source of nectar, like Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), catmint (Nepeta), and lavender (Lavandula) are, but it's a source.But there it was, a praying mantis in a yet-to-bloom young yucca.  Me: "Mantis,…
View Article
Primary Image
Neal Williams and a native bee

Congrats, ESA Fellow Neal Williams!

August 5, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Congrats to Professor Neal Williams of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, a pollinator ecologist internationally recognized for his research on bee and pollination biology.He's is a newly elected Fellow of the Entomological Society of America (ESA). The ESA Governing Board elected…
View Article
Primary Image
Bruce Hammock in his office

Remembering Bruce Hammock

August 4, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Remembering the legendary UC Davis Distinguished Professor Bruce Dupree Hammock, 1947-2026."Distinguished Professor Bruce Hammock left the University of California stronger, the scientific world richer, and all who knew him better for having shared in his remarkable journey."So wrote three of his…
View Article
Primary Image
A stick insect at the Bohart Museum of Entomology

Bugs and Kids Go Well Together

August 3, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Bugs and kids go well together.Take the Vacaville Museum Guild's annual Children's Party, set from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Aug. 6 in the museum courtyard.In addition to all the fun and games, and the extensive arts and crafts activities, the kids--ages 3 to 9--will get acquainted with honey bees, native…
View Article
Primary Image
The Shahid Siddique lab swept the spotlight at the Society of Nematologists' meeting in Baltimore. From left are graduate student Alison Snyder; doctoral student Ching-Jung Li; Pallavi Shakya, who just received her doctorate; UC Davis Professor Emerita Valerie Williamson, recipient of the Honorary Member award; Professor Shahid Siddique, Excellence in Teaching Award; doctoral candidate Alison Blundell, and postdoctoral researcher Dadong Dai.

Explaining Root-Knot Nematode Research

July 31, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 When Pallavi Shakya of the nematology lab of UC Davis Professor Shahid Siddique, Department of Entomology and Nematology,  presented an invited lecture at the recent meeting of the Society of Nematologists (SON) in Baltimore, she discussed her highly acclaimed research paper on root-knot nematodes…
View Article