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)
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UC Davis Distinguished Professor Bruce Hammock (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bruce Hammock: We Lost a Legend

January 6, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Bruce Hammock, 1947-2026.I never thought I'd write that. UC Davis Distinguished Professor Bruce Hammock was an amazing scientist--a genius, really--an incredible mentor, and a good friend. He passed on Monday, Jan. 5, at age 78, and the world will never be the same.When I visited his office…
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Honey bee on honeycomb. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Stlll Time to Register for Honey and Mead Workshops

January 5, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Friday, Jan. 9 is the deadline to register for the two long-awaited workshops: The Science of Honey Tasting and The Science of Mead Tasting.Coordinated by the California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP), based at the University of California, Davis, and Z Food Specialty/The HIVE, Woodland, both of the…
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Doctoral candidate Mia Lippey will deliver her exit seminar on Wednesday, Jan. 7

Mia Lippey's Exit Seminar

January 2, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Doctoral candidate Mia Lippey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, an outstanding scholar and self-described "life-long lover of all things insect-related," is looking forward to delivering her exit seminar.An entomologist and ecologist active in both the Entomological Society…
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Cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae, in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Net a Butterfly, Photograph a Bee

January 1, 2026
 New Year's Day is not only the beginning of a year, but it's also the beginning of two UC Davis insect contests: one involving a cabbage white butterfly, and the other, a bumble bee.Chances are no one won either one today, as it's been raining almost non-stop, and the 10-day forecast predicts an 80…
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