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THE DEAD BEE--Worker bees prepare to remove their dead sister (far left) from the hive. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

A Hymn for Her

December 10, 2008
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Did you catch the "The Burns and the Bees" episode on The Simpsons Sunday night? Dead honey bees take over the otherwise animated TV show. Bart, on a dare from schoolyard bullies, knocks a bee's nest from a tree and it lands kerplop on the playground.
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TO BEE OR NOT TO BEE--Yao Hua Law (left) and Randy Veirs hold up the "To Bee or Not to Bee" t-shirt. It is intended to do double duty: to raise funds for the UC Davis Entomology Graduate Students' Association and to raise awareness for the plight of honey bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

To Bee or Not to Bee

December 9, 2008
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
"To bee or not to bee." That is the question. What is the solution? The plight of the honey bees has not escaped the UC Davis Entomology Graduate Students' Association (EGSA).
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HAVEN FOR HONEY BEES--A honey bee gathers nectar from salvia (sage). Sage is sure to be one of the featured plants in bee friendly garden at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Pollinator Paradise

December 8, 2008
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
There's been trouble in paradise far too long. Now, thanks to a generous donation from Hagen-Dazs, there will be a pollinator paradise--in the way of a bee friendly garden--at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis.
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APHIDS ON GAURA--These aphids are feasting on a gaura. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

They Suck

December 5, 2008
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Call them plant lice. Call them plant suckers. Call them aphids. The tiny, soft-bodied insects with pear-shaped bodies form denses colonies on plants. They suck. Literally. Their destructive feeding habits do not endear them to gardeners and farmers. No love lost. No lost love.
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THE FLY--A fly on sage, posterized through Photoshop. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Fly Away

December 3, 2008
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
God in His wisdom made the fly And then forgot to tell us why. --Ogden Nash, "The Fly" Every time I see a fly I think of the Ogden Nash poem. Our bee-friendly garden is attracting a few flies. I captured this one visiting sage and then preserved it for posterity: I posterized it in Photoshop.
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MONARCH BUTTERFLY--A drenched butterfly rests on ice plant. This photo was taken Oct. 19, 2007 along the Mendocino coast. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Where Are All the Monarchs?

December 2, 2008
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Folk singer Pete Seeger asked "Where have all the flowers gone?" UC Davis butterfly expert Art Shapiro wants to know "Where are all the Monarchs?
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MEDFLY--Border patrol agents suspect that travelers to Hawaii may be bringing back mangoes infested with the larvae of a Mediterranean fruit fly. The Medfly can infest more than 260 types of fruits and vegetables, causing severe impacts on California agricultural exports and backyard gardens, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The CDFA announced Dec. 2 that it has established a 107 square-mile quarantine zone in the El Cajon area of San Diego County, following the detecti

Pack Memories, Not Pests

December 1, 2008
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
I ran into two members of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Patrol this afternoon. No, I wasn't at a border. I was merely walking the halls of the UC Davis Department of Entomology. The border patrol agents were there to meet with entomology department officials in Briggs Hall.
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ESA AWARD--ESA President Michael Gray (left) presents the Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology to UC Davis chemical ecologist Walter Leal. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

DEET Plays a Role

November 28, 2008
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
When UC Davis chemical ecologist Walter Leal received a major award from the Entomological Society of America at its 56th annual meeting, held in Reno, DEET has something to do with it.
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