Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Primary Image
Pink pipevine caterpillar
Article

Pipe Cleaner Caterpillars

July 21, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 "Fuzzy Wuzzy" was not a bear. "Fuzzy Wuzzy" was--and is--a pink pipe cleaner caterpillar. And sometimes it comes in yellow, green, orange, blue, white or red.Pipe cleaners are used to clean smoking pipes, ridding them of residue and moisture. But as chenille stems, they find themselves in a wide…
View Article
Primary Image
Mint moth (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

How Moths Differ from Butterflies

July 18, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 How do moths differ from butterflies?Scientists at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis answered questions and displayed both moths and butterflies at their recent Moth Night, in observation of National Moth Week, July 19-27. Bohart associates Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection…
View Article
Primary Image
A crowd begins to gather around the blacklighting demonstration. (Photo by Kristy Vasquez)
Article

How Many Species of Moths at Bohart Museum's Moth Night?

July 17, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Curious minds want to know.How many species of moths did scientists detect in the blacklighting demonstration at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's annual Moth Night, held Saturday, July 12?"We caught a total of 11 moths at the light sheet--five species in five different families," said Bohart Museum…
View Article
Primary Image
Members of the National Academy of Sciences penned a letter to Congress about the proposed budget cuts. UC Davis Distinguished Professor Walter Leal created a video showcasing the letter.
Article

Raising the Alarm About Science Budget Cuts

July 16, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
  Breaking News: More than 1,218 members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), including 61 Nobel laureates and 46 recipients of the National Medal of Science, this week signed a letter urging Congress to reject the FY26 science budget cuts that threaten U.S. leadership in science, health, and…
View Article
Primary Image
Tobacco hornworm gently placed in a hand. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

My Turn to Hold the Hornworm

July 15, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 "My turn to hold the hornworm!"Youth and adults alike clamored to hold the tobacco hornworms at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's Moth Night.While attendees held the hornworms, other hornworms munched on a tomato plant.  A display sign about Metamorphosis in the Garden read:"Tobacco hornworms …
View Article