Bug Squad

The Sting. (c) Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOSQUITO RESEARCHER Anthony "Anton" Cornel of UC Davis collected and established the colony of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes that was sequenced. Here he's shown working in a field tent identifying mosquitoes in Cameroon. (Photo by Kevin N'Gabo)
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The Mosquito Researchers

October 7, 2010
It was a major milestone, sequencing the genome of Culex quinquefasciatus, the so-called southern house mosquito. The research, spearheaded by UC Riverside geneticists and published in the Oct. 1, 2010 edition of Science, involved scientists from 37 other institutions.
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FORAGER--A honey bee forages on a zinnia, a colorful flower that's a member of the aster family. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Zinnias! Zinnias! Zinnias!

October 6, 2010
Honey bees foraging on zinnias? Yes. It's not considered a "bee plant" like the salvias, lavenders and mints, but bees do forage on it occasionally. The genus, from the aster family (Asteraceae), derives its name from the German botanist, Johann Gottfried Zinn.
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PESTY YELLOWJACKET--A Western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica) sips water from a watering device at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Seeing Yellow (and Black)

October 5, 2010
So you're planning a big barbecue, a garden party or a wedding reception. You want to make sure that Mr. and Mrs. Yellowjacket and all their offspring--plus nephews, nieces, uncles, aunts, cousins and assorted other relatives--aren't on the invite list.
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LADYBUGS on artichoke leaf. Soon, more beneficial insects in the garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Sex Amid the Artichokes

October 4, 2010
What the world needs now is "love, sweet love" and...more ladybugs. Ladybeetles are our friends. They gobble up aphids and other pests in our garden, and then look around for more. They have insatiable appetites.
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