Bug Squad

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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.

A bumble bee, identified as a male Bombus californicus, foraging on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Bumble Bees and Tithonia: Perfect Match

July 25, 2023

A perfect match: a bumble bee foraging on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. Lately we've been observing a bumble bee, identified as a maleCalifornia bumble bee, Bombus californicus, sipping nectar from the colorful orange blooms in our Vacaville pollinator garden. B.

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A male leafcutter bee lands on a spent flower. He is not alone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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A Good Morning for a Bee

July 24, 2023

It's a beautiful morning and life is good. A male leafcutter bee (genus Megachile) drops down on a spent flower in a Vacaville pollinator garden. He's warming his flight muscles, ready to greet the day--and maybe a female of his species. Mr.

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A youth checks out the moth displays during a recent Bohart Museum of Entomology Moth Night. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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What Will You See at Bohart Museum Open House

July 21, 2023

What will you see at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house from 7 to 11 p.m., Saturday, July 22? The event, "A Night at the Museum," is free and family friendly.

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A white-lined sphinx moth, Hyles lineata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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Where to Meet Some Lepidopterists and Dipterists--and Learn About Mosquitoes!

July 20, 2023

Moths will grab the spotlight at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house on Saturday, July 22 but besides Lepidopterists (those who study butterflies and moths), attendees can meet and greet dipterists (those who study flies), learn about mosquitoes from the author of a newly published children...

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Entomologist Jeff Smith, the curator of the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart Museum, displays a drawer of tropical butterfly specimens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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'A Night at the Bohart Museum' to Celebrate Moths and Other Insects

July 19, 2023

What are the main differences between moths and butterflies? That's a question frequently asked at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, especially during National Moth Week, which this year takes place July 22-30.

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