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BLOSSOM BOUND, a pollen-packing honey bee heads toward a Peter Pan Agapanthus, a dwarf version of Lily of the Nile. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Peter Pan Bees

July 14, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Peter Pan vowed he'd never grow up. "I won't grow up!" yelled the boy, a figment of a Scottish novelist's imagination. "I won't grow up!" So it is with Peter Pan Agapanthus (Agapanthus africanus), a dwarf version of a spectacular flower known as Lily of the Nile. It won't grow up.
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BEE SWARM on a limb near Briggs Hall, home of the UC Davis Department of Entomology. This telephoto was taken from the third floor of Briggs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bee Swarm at Briggs

July 13, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Eagle-eyed Carol Nickles saw it first. The graduate student coordinator for the UC Davis Department of Entomology spotted the bee swarm from a third-floor window of Briggs Hall. There it was, swaying on a tree branch, about 25 feet above the ground.
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A HONEY BEE rolls around in a poppy, the California state flower.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Just Bee-Cause

July 10, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Sometimes you don't think about the declining bee population when you see a pollen-dusted honey bee rolling around in a poppy blossom, but colony collapse disorder (CCD) is still with us. Pollinator protection is a must. That's why we were glad to see the U. S.
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FIND THE INSECT. Yes, there's an insect in this photo. Under the top blackberry leaf is a "walking leaf" (lighter green). Walking leaves are a big attraction at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

These 'Leaves' Are Made for Walking

July 9, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Two newly moulted insects in the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, look just like leaves. But these leaves are made for walking. These are camouflaged insects (Phyllium giganteum), commonly known as "walking leaves." They're green, wide, and flat.
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A CARPENTER BEE graces the cover of the current edition of California Agriculture. This spectacular photo is the work of Rollin Coville. See the California Agriculture journal online at http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.org/.

A Salute to California Agriculture

July 8, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Do you recognize the native bee that graces the cover of the current edition of California Agriculture, a peer-reviewed journal published by the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources? Yes, it's a carpenter bee.
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PINK BLOSSOMS of this cactus, Echinopsis, rise majestically, but if you look closely, this plant has company. It harbors plant bugs (see photos below). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Marvelous Mirids

July 7, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
So, you spot a bug crawling up and down a plant in your garden. What is it? Plant bug. Plant bug? No kidding. The common name for certain members of the Miridae family is--you guessed it--"plant bug.
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THIS DOG TICK, from the genus Dermacentor, is an adult female. When she's embedded and gorged with blood, she will swell to about half-an-inch long. Here she's crawling on a ruler. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Ticked Off

July 6, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Now here's something that will tick you off. You're taking photos of bumble bees and honey bees in tall grass near a wooded area, minding your own ISO, shutter speed and aperture. All's well with the world.
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A squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Yellow Blossom Special

July 3, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
They're up and at it long before the honey bees. Before dawn breaks, you'll see the tiny bees gathering nectar and pollen in squash, pumpkins and other cucurbits. They're squash bees (Peponapis pruinosa), sometimes called the plush bee.
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WALNUT TWIG BEETLE is smaller than a grain of rice. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

A One-Two Punch

July 2, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
When you look at the tiny unassuming walnut twig beetle--it's smaller than a grain of rice--you wonder how it could possibily kill a majestic black walnut tree. By itself, it can't. But when it's associated with a specific fungus that hitchhikes on the beetle, were talking serious problems.
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GOING IN--UC Davis firefighters rush into the Baxter House for a control burn, part of a training exercise led by assistant chief Nathan Trauernicht. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Baxter House Is No More

July 1, 2009
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The Baxter House is no more. The UC Davis Fire Department burned it down yesterday. It's gone, along with assorted black widow spiders, scattered crane flies, munchkin termites and maybe a meandering ant or wandering fly or two. (After all, this is a "bug" blog.
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