Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
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European earwig. (Photo by Beth Grafton-Cardwell)
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Hanna Kahl's Exit Seminar: European Earwigs!

September 24th, 2021
If you grow citrus, you've probably been introduced to the introduced European earwig, Forficula auricularia, the most common of the earwig species infesting the fruit here in California.
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Insect wedding photography: Two Gulf Fritillaries, Agraulis vanillae, in a Vacaville, Calif. pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Insect Wedding Photography: No Invitation Needed

September 23rd, 2021
One point about insect wedding photography is that you don't need an invitation to attend. You just have to keep your distance and not disturb the bridal couple. No sudden movements. No stressful impatience. And no camera flash, please.
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Find the praying mantis! This is a female gravid Stagmomantis limbata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Find the Praying Mantis! (Hint, She's Big!)

September 21st, 2021
Find the praying mantis. That's not too difficult, considering this Stagmomantis limbata is gravid (pregnant) and about ready to deposit her ootheca (egg case or "ooth") on a nearby twig or branch.
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Digger bees, Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, building their nests in the sand cliffs off Bodega Head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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The Beckoning Bees at Bodega Bay

September 20th, 2021
Head to the Bodega Bay in Sonoma County and you'll see little kids building sandcastles on the beaches. But head to Bodega Head in the spring and summer, and if you're lucky, you'll see female digger beesbumble bee mimicscreating their own versions of sandcastles.
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