Bug Squad

UC Davis bee researcher Felicity Muth educated the crowd, including adults, children and teens, about native bees at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's recent open house on "Buzz Words: Insects in Literature."

Muth is the author of the highly acclaimed children's book, "Am I Even a Bee?"--about an Osmia bee (family Megachilida) that wonders just that.
https://ucanr.edu/blog/bug-squad/article/felicity-muth-no-one-way-be-bee

Who were the "worker bees" bee-hind the scenes who organized the highly successful Bohart Museum of Entomology open house, "Buzz Words: Insects in Literature," that featured displays, hands-on activities, and three speakers?

The "worker bees" were three UC Davis Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) members: Grace Horne, Mia Lippey and Marielle Hansen Friedman. Horne and Friedman are doctoral candidates in the lab of urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke, associate professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Lippey, who received her doctorate in entomology in April 2026, studied in the labs of Meineke and UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jay Rosenheim.

See more at https://ucanr.edu/blog/bug-squad/article/bee-hind-scenes

Interested in pollinator biology, health and policy? We all should "bee."

Professor Michelle Flenniken of Montana State University (MSU), is chairing an International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health, and Policy 2026 that is set June 25-27 in the Strand Student Union Building, Bozeman.

Flenniken, who focuses her research on virology, genetics, host-pathogen interactions, honey bee pathogens, completed her postdoctoral research at the University of California. Back in 2010, when the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology received initial funding from Häagen-Dazs for a pollinator garden (now known as the UC Davis Bee Haven), the ice cream company also announced a postdoctoral scholarship. Flenniken, then an insect virus researcher in Professor Raul Andino's lab, UC San Francisco Department of Microbiology and Immunology, won the competition and became the Häagen-Dazs Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Davis. She continued to work in both labs.

The international conference will feature presentations and discussions on topics critical to insect pollinator health, which includes honey bees and native bees.

See more at

An International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy | Bug Squad Image

UC Davis doctoral candidate Madison "Madi" Hendrick, scheduled to receive her doctorate in entomology in June, will present her exit seminar on "Integrated Pest Management in California Field Crops: Challenges in Alfalfa and Rice" on Friday, June 5.

Her seminar is set for 10 a.m. in 366 Briggs Hall, UC Davis. It also will be on Zoom.

Hendrick studies insecticide resistance in alfalfa weevil and tadpole shrimp

"California produces a wide variety of crops, with field crops contributing substantially to the statewide agricultural economy," Hendrick writes in her abstract. "Many field crops face arthropod pests, and protecting these crops is a constant challenge for growers and pest control advisers. Certain crops, such as alfalfa and rice, are limited in their control options and rely heavily on insecticides for pest management. Though generally effective, an overreliance on these chemicals can lead to insecticide resistance and environmental issues. In my dissertation, I explored challenges and worked to find solutions for field crop integrated pest management."

See more at https://ucanr.edu/blog/bug-squad/article/ipm-challenges-alfalfa-and-rice

Honey bees can't get enough of the Tower of Jewels, Echium wildpretii.

Wildpretii? Sometimes you feel like addingan extra "t" and remove an "i." It's pronounced "wild-PRET-ee-eye."

A towering, flowering biennnial plant in the family Boraginaceaes, it's named for the 19th century Swiss botanist Hermann Josef Wildpret (1834–1908). Origin: the Canary Islands, Spain. It's predominant around Mount Teide in Tenerife.

https://ucanr.edu/blog/bug-squad/article/tower-red-pollen-blue

Spiders know where the bees are.

Crab spiders hide in the petals and ambush foraging bees. Orbweavers build sticky, silken webs. Jumping spiders actively stalk or pounce on bees.

The predators and the prey...

I spotted a bold jumping spider in our lavender patch this week and watched it nail a honey bee. It proved too fast for my camera settings, and before I could focus for another shot, it quickly dropped on the ground for a bee lunch.

Both bees and spiders are vital to our ecosystem. Honey bees pollinate our fruits and flowers. Spiders control pest insects, including aphids and flies.
https://ucanr.edu/blog/bug-squad/article/spiders-know-where-bees-are

Ever seen a leafcutter bee or carpenter bee heading toward their human-crafted nests, also called bee condos, bee hotels, bee beds, bee houses or bee abodes?

When you visit the UC Davis Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis, you may see them.

The Haven, a half-acre pollinator garden installed by the UC Davis Department of Entomology in the fall of 2009, now includes two bee condos--an older and smaller one with drilled wood blocks; and a newly installed one (with dozens of different-sized holes), a gift from Ambassador Girl Scout Sophie Webb of Davis.

See more at
https://ucanr.edu/blog/bug-squad/article/beds-bees-uc-davis-bee-haven

Picture this...
You're journaling as a participant in a class at the UC Davis Bee Haven. The garden is not only tranquil but therapeutic. You're writing and sketching about the bees buzzing, the butterflies fluttering, the flowers blooming, and the birds chirping.
That's what took place when Samantha "Sam" Murray, education and garden coordinator of the UC Davis Bee Haven, hosted the garden's first nature-journaling session.
The Haven, a half-acre pollinator demonstration garden installed by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology in the fall of 2009, is located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, west of the central campus. It's open from dawn to dusk. Admission is free.
Lorie Topinka of Davis, a naturalist, watercolorist and science educator and former assistant director of education at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, led the session.
"The journaling session went really wonderfully!" Murray said. "It was a beautiful time to pause, reflect in the garden, and peacefully appreciate its beauty."
"The participants truly enjoyed it and several expressed interest in coming back if we offer the class again in the future," Murray said. "I also received a few emails from people who were interested in attending but couldn’t make the timing work, so I’m feeling very optimistic about hosting this class again sometime."

Nature-Journaling at the UC Davis Bee Haven | Bug Squad Image

Today, on Memorial Day, May 25, 2026, we pay tribute to America's fallen soldiers and those who served.

Several of my ancestors, including James Laughlin, served in the Revolutionary War. My 6' 3" great-grandfather, Samuel Davidson Laughlin was a color bearer with the Union Army in the Civil War. HIs grandson, George Laughlin Martin, of the U.S. Navy, perished when the Japanese bombed the USS Destroyer Meredith (D-434) on Oct. 15, 1942.

Heroes all. Let us not forget.

See more at

Memorial Day and Memories | Bug Squad Image Samuel Davidson Laughli