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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. 

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Luke Doyle receiving award at ESA meeting

In the Presidential Circle

November 12, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Four UC Davis doctoral students stood in the coveted "presidential circle" at the Entomological Society of America (ESA) conference, receiving awards for their research presentations ranging from ants and soil microarthropods to blue orchard bees and orchid bees.The 74th annual conference, themed …
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Bees attacking Confederate troops at Roulette farm. (Ai generated)

Bees on the Battlefield

November 11, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 On Veterans Day, we reflect on our cherished freedoms and honor the generations of our families who served in the armed forces. Sometimes they received a little help--or hinderance--from insects such as mosquitoes and honey bees. My great-grandfather, Samuel Davidson Laughlin, a 6'3" farm boy from Linn…
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Painted rocks at Bohart Museum of Entomology open house.

UC Davis Rocks!

November 10, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 UC Davis Rocks!Just ask the folks who painted rocks at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house last Saturday, Nov. 7.All Bohart Museum open houses are free and family friendly, and at each open house, attendees can engage in a family arts-and-crafts activity. This time it was painting rocks.A sign…
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Professor Neal Williams, newly inducted Fellow of Entomological Society of America

Our New ESA Fellow

November 9, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Meet our new Fellow: UC Davis Professor Neal Williams, pollination ecologist.Williams, internationally recognized for his research on bee and pollination biology, was inducted a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America at its meeting Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.  Willilams' work emphasizes the…
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Annobón, Equatorial New Guinea.

UC Malaria Initiative: Good Things Are Happening

November 6, 2026
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Good things are happening in the war against malaria.The University of California Malaria Initiative (UCMI), directed by UC Davis medical entomologist Gregory "Greg" Lanzaro, and assisted by co-principal investigator Anthony "Anton" Cornel,  has received $30 million in new funding from Coefficient…
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