Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
Article

Those Beautiful 'Cats

October 6th, 2016
Late bloomers. Late eaters. Monarch butterflies are migrating now, but we're still finding a few caterpillars in our pollinator garden in Vacaville, Calif.
View Article
Article

How Climate Change Affects Bees

October 5th, 2016
Have you ever wondered how climate change affects bees? Honey bees and native bees? You can find out Wednesday, Oct. 12 at a program on "Bees and Climate Change at the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, located on Bee Biology Road, west of the central campus. The event, set from noon to 1:30 p.
View Article
Article

Common Checkered Skipper: Sometimes It's Not So Common!

October 4th, 2016
The Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) is never alone. It loves company, attracting scores of insect guests, from honey bees to bumble bees to butterflies. We've seen monarchs, Gulf Fritillaries, Western tiger swallowtails, buckeyes, and fiery skippers nectaring on our Mexican sunflowers.
View Article
Article

The Predator and the Pest

October 3rd, 2016
So here's this praying mantis perched on top of a prickly pear cactus. It's early morning and she's hungry. A cabbage white butterfly, looking like a white-gowned princess in a medieval palace, flutters by and pauses on the prickly pear to seek some sunshine. Oops! Fatal mistake.
View Article
Article

Oh, the Bugs They Saw at the Bohart!

September 30th, 2016
When the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis, hosted an open house showcasing specimens collected last summer in Belize, attendees came from far and wide, from senior citizens to pre-schoolers.
View Article