Bug Squad

The Sting. (c) Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Female praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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What a Mantis!

September 16, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 There’s a “mom” in the word Stagmomantis, as in Stag-mom-antis limbata. That genus name seems quite appropriate for a gravid mantis, don't you think?Take the mama-to-be that's a permanent tenant in a Vacaville patch of African blue basil. She knows this is the place to "bee."We've nicknamed her …
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Anopheles gambiae
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An Eyewitness to the Fall of Saigon and a Glance at Mosquitoes and Malaria

September 15, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 "It was a peaceful transition, and not the expected bloodbath."That's what retired teacher Claudia Krich of Davis, author of  "Those Who Stayed: A  Vietnam Diary," and an eyewitness to the Fall of Saigon told a recent meeting of the Vacaville Museum Guild.That day,  April 30, 1975,…
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Honey bee in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Bee-ing There: A Buzzworthy Event

September 12, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 It was a joy to see the amazing group of UC Davis employees receiving well-deserved awards at the UC Davis Staff Assembly's Citation of Excellence ceremony, held Sept. 10 at the residence of Chancellor Gary May.One of the recipients was "bee guy" Joseph Tauzer, manager of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey…
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Lecture that Professor Jason Bond delivered.
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Sharing Spider Research in Slovenia

September 11, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 It's not often that a UC Davis scientist heads to Slovenia to share expertise on trapdoor spiders.As a Fulbright Special Program award recipient, Professor Jason Bond is doing just that. He's meeting with scientists and presenting talks at the National Institute of Biology (NIB) in Slovenia. …
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Forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey on Alcatraz Island. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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A UC Davis Forensic Entomologist, a Museum Exhibit and a Panel Discussion

September 10, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 Noted UC Davis forensic entomologist Robert “Bob” Kimsey, a past president of the North America Forensic Entomology Association (NAEA), retired from the Department of Entomology and Nematology faculty in June of 2024, but he hasn't retired from his research and public service.He will join seven death…
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