Bug Squad

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The Bug Squad blog, by Kathy Keatley Garvey of the University of California, Davis, is a daily (Monday-Friday) blog launched Aug. 6, 2008. It is about the wonderful world of insects and the entomologists who study them. Blog posts are archived at https://my.ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/index.cfm. The story behind "The Sting" is here: https://my.ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7735.

Retired entomologist and UC DAvis alumnus Norm Smith (second from left) talks to visitors at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's "Moth Night." The white witch (see display on the far left) is the largest moth in the world. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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What a Night for Moths and Spectators!

July 24, 2018

What a night! What a night--both inside and outside the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis on Saturday, July 21.

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UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology professor Jason Bond examines a scarab beetle at the blacklighting display set up during Moth Night. Bond, a new member of the faculty, is professor of entomology and the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in insect systematics. At left is "Moth Man" John De Benedictus, Bohart Museum associate. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Scarab Beetles First to Arrive at UC Davis 'Moth Night'

July 23, 2018

It was "Moth Night" at the Bohart Museum of Entomology last Saturday night, but three scarab beetles beat the moths to the blacklighting display. The UC Davis event took place from 8 to 11 p.m.

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European wool carder bee, Anthidium manicatum, heads toward a blue spike sage, Salvia uliginosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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This Bully Bee Goes for the Blue Plate Special

July 20, 2018

It's a bully. But what a bully! Ever seen the male European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) protecting its turf? It's "no-holds barred" on our blue spike sage (Salvia uliginosa) and frankly, it's a delight to see and photograph.

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Thousands attended the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day; a video is now posted on YouTube. Here visitors check out the displays at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. The 2019 Biodiversity Museum Day is set Feb. 16. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Showcasing and Celebrating a Day of Science: UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day

July 19, 2018

The "best-kept secret" is no more. Well, it's not so much as a "best-kept secret" but a "UC Davis treasure." Thousands attended the seventh annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, which showcased 13 museums or collections.

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A male Svastra dive-bombs another male on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). This image was taken with a fast shutter speed of 1/3200 of a second. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Sorry, This Blossom Is Taken

July 18, 2018

So here's this male longhorned bee (Svastra) sipping a little nectar from a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). As the late Mr. Rogers (1928-2003), star of the TV show, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," so often proclaimed: "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

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