Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
Primary Image
Xena the Warrior Princess is a feline entomologist. She specializes in butterflies and sphinx moths. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

Big on Butterflies

August 29th, 2008
Our cat is an entomologist. She has no formal training in the science of insects, but she can catch insects with the best of 'em. Plus, her credentials include a butterfly mark on her leg. Xena the Warrior Princess is a rescue cat.
View Article
Primary Image
A praying mantis snares a pipevine swallowtail butterfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

Let Us Prey

August 28th, 2008
Robert Bugg saw it first. That's entomologist Robert L. Bugg. Bugg, who received his doctorate in entomology at UC Davis, does research on the biological control of insect pests; cover crops; and restoration ecology. And he saw it first. Look, he said.
View Article
Primary Image
A California lady beetle, aka ladybug, spreads her wings to dry after a near-drowning in a swimming pool. The lady beetle is a beneficial insect. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

Fly Away Home

August 27th, 2008
We netted the floundering California lady beetle (Coccinella californica) aka "lady bug," from our swimming pool. She didn't look like the familiar lady beetle, reddish orange with black spots. One spot was all she had. And little life left.
View Article
Primary Image
Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito laying eggs. (Photo by Samuel Woo, UC Davis)
Article

Heaven-Scent

August 26th, 2008
Whew, that stinks! If you've ever smelled a mosquito gravid trap, you know it's not heaven-scent. This isn't about the aroma of summer roses or the whiff of freshly baked cinnamon rolls or the fragrance of vanilla-laced skin cream. No. This is something that stinks to high heaven.
View Article
Primary Image
Karen Flores and Dennis Price: The bees have their attention and their respect. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Article

Honey, Meet Me at the Fair

August 25th, 2008
As a child, Dennis Price loved to watch the honey bees. I could sit and watch them all day, he said. He still does. Love the honey bees, that is. And he never tires of watching them. If you attended the California State Fair on Sunday, Aug. 17 or Saturday, Aug.
View Article