Bug Squad

The Sting. (c) Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Looking for a specific Blog post?
Search Now
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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HONEY BEE wings in motion. The bee can fly a distance of two to two-and-a-half miles. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

Inside the World of Bees

August 20, 2009
Gleanings from the Western Apicultural Society's 31st annual conference, being held in Healdsburg this week under the direction of president Eric Mussen, Extension apiculturist and member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty: Honey bees can fly a distance of about two to two-and-a-half m...
View Article
HONEY BEES are nectaring outside the Western Apicultural Society conference in Healdsburg. The key subject at the conference: bee health. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

Helping the Honey Bees

August 19, 2009
The Western Apicultural Society (WAS) conference, taking place this week in the Dry Creek Inn, Healdsburg, is drawing a lot of interest. Extension Apiculturist Eric Mussen, member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, is finishing his yearlong term as president of WAS.
View Article
FIERY SKIPPER (Hylephila phyleus) nectaring catmint. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

Fighter Jet

August 18, 2009
Look for the fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus) in your garden. It's likely sharing your catmint, lavender and sage with honey bees and other pollinators. It's the only one holding a "fighter-jet" position.
View Article
WITH TONGUE EXTENDED, Anthophora urbana heads for lavender. It's known as a rapid forager. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

Tiny Bee

August 17, 2009
It's smaller than a honey bee. And faster and louder. Anthophora urbana, a solitary, ground-nesting bee, frequents our garden to nectar the catmint, lavender and sage. Sometimes the forager's buzz is so loud that it's startling.
View Article
THIS IMAGE of the Western Tiger Swallowtail is by naturalist/photographer Greg Kareofelas, who took this in east Davis last week. Butterfly experts hadn't seen this butterfly in the Davis area for 15 years until this year.
Article

Tiger by the Tail

August 14, 2009
Talk about a tiger by the tail. That would be the Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus). It's returned to the Davis area after a 15-year hiatus.
View Article
Subscribe