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.

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Bee Swarm!

March 23, 2012

Bee swarms are absolutely fascinating. Several years ago, when bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey was teaching a queen- rearing class at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis, her students received an extra bonus: they witnessed a bee swarm.

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Ladybug devouring an aphid on a rose bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Ladies (and Men) in Red

March 22, 2012

Two ladybugs, aka lady beetles, circled their little house, a 1.5-inch plastic container punctured with air holes. Up. Down. Down. Up. In a way, they seemed like hamsters on a treadmill. I don't know how long they'd been in the container, but they were anxious to leave.

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Count the insects! Ladybugs, a European paper wasp, blow fly and aphids are all over the fava beans in the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Insect Diversity in the Fava Beans

March 21, 2012

The first day of spring--Tuesday, March 20--yielded a diversity of insects in the fava beans planted in the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee friendly garden adjacent to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, University of California,Davis.

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Derek Downey checks out a birdhouse filled with bees. The bees swarmed March 30 and are now established in a once-vacant bee box in the sanctuary. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Davis Bee Sanctuary: The Place to 'Bee'

March 20, 2012

(Note: Due to a forecast of heavy rain, the grand opening originally scheduled March 24 is now Saturday, March 31. The blog below reflects the change.) The Davis Bee Sanctuary is the place to "bee" on Saturday, March 31.

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Kathy Kellison, executive director of Partners for Sustainable Pollination, headquartered in Santa Rosa, delivers information to the 2011 beekeepers' booth. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Know Your California Beekeepers

March 19, 2012

When the annual California Ag Day takes place Wednesday, March 21 on the west side of the California State Capitol grounds, Sacramento, expect to see a lot of happy faces. This year's overall theme is "Know Your California Farmer.

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