Bug Squad

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 heading toward rock purslane, Calandrinia grandiflora. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Can Bees Have Heart Attacks?

February 12, 2014

"Can bees have heart attacks?" We know that honey bees work hard. They forage for food within a four-mile range of their hive. They can fly up to 15 miles per hour, and their wings can beat about 200 times per second, or 12,000 beats per minute.

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Ladybug drying its wings after falling into a swimming pool. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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World's Best Bug Blogs

February 11, 2014

There are lots of blogs out there, but not too many people blog about bugs. Fact is, bugs bug people. Birds bug bugs. Bugs bug bugs. If you've ever seen a praying mantis lying in wait for a bee or a ladybug snatching an aphid, or a dragonfly grabbing a hover fly, you know they do. Bugs bug bugs.

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This photo of beekeeper Billy Synk, manager and staff research associate of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis, appears on the cover of the February edition of the American Bee Journal. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Becoming a Beekeeper

February 10, 2014

"How do I get started in beekeeping?" This is the time of year when scores of prospective beekeepers contact Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology for advice on beginning beekeeping.

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Honey bee foraging on flowering quince. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Learning About the Pollinators

February 7, 2014

If you want to learn more about pollinators and sustainable gardening, then you should circle March 15 on your calendar and register for the "Pollinator Gardening Workshop, Your Sustainable Backyard.

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A syrphid fly, aka flower fly or hover fly, sipping nectar from a tower of jewels. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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The Power of Red

February 6, 2014

There's a heartfelt reason why Friday, Feb. 7 is "UC Davis Wears Red Day." It's about raising awareness for heart disease, the No. 1 killer of both men and women. It's a battle we need to fight with an arsenal of weapons.

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