Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay

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UC ANR is renovating its website. 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/blogcore/archive.cfm

A robber fly rests on a hand. (Photo by Allan Cabrero)

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'Fly Fun' Is Underway Through May 6

May 2, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

If you missed World Robber Fly Day on Wednesday, April 30, not to worry.There's still time to celebrate."The first-ever International Fly Week started April 30 on World Robber Fly Day and ends on World Bee Fly Day on May 6," said UC Davis alumna Brittany Kohler, research assistant in the lab of ant…

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UC Davis doctoral candidate Alison Blundell showing nematode specimens at UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Congrats to Outstanding UC Davis Doctoral Candidate Alison Blundell

May 1, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Congrats to Alison!Doctoral candidate Alison Blundell of the laboratory of associate professor Shahid Siddique, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, is the recipient of the 2025 John M. Webster Outstanding Student Award from the Society of Nematologists.We are so proud of her and her…

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A chicken in a pen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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How 'Tiny Terrors' Affect the Health and Productivity of Your Chickens

April 30, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Humans aren't fond of ectoparasites, such as ticks, fleas, lice, parasitic flies and mites.Neither are chickens. In a timely talk, veterinary entomologist Amy Murillo, an assistant professor in the UC Riverside Department of Entomology, will discuss "Tiny Terrors: How Ectoparasites Undermine…

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Honey bee on almond blossom (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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The Hive to Host Mini-Honey Festival

April 29, 2025

Bug Squad BlogBy Kathy Keatley GarveyThe Disappointing News: The California Honey Festival, initially scheduled for Saturday, May 3 in downtown Woodland, has been postponed due to a forecast of inclement weather. The festival has been rescheduled for Saturday, June 21.The Good News: The Hive at 1221…

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A beekeeper points to the queen bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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A Honey of a Festival

April 28, 2025

Breaking News: Due to the weather forecast of inclement weather, the 2025 California Honey Festival has been rescheuled from May 3 to June 21. The California Master Beekeeper Program and the UC Davis Arboretum will be providing fun and educational activities at the “mini-honey festival” from 11 a…

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