Bug Blog
Greed or Need?
Talk about greed. Talk about gluttony. How much food does a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) need? For 30 minutes, we watched a well-fed banded garden spider catch bee after bee in its...
Fish-eye view of a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) with prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An intruder, a smaller spider (top), heads toward the resident spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The intruder is toast--or a wrap. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Nobody Lost Their Head Today
Nobody lost their head today. Oh, in the people world, all across our nation's workplaces, they did. Eyes rolled, tempers flared, outbursts erupted and some angry assailants went into what my ol'...
Mating praying mantids on sedum. The male looks like a thin blade of grass. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A mama-to-be and her handsome agile mate made quite a pair. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Praying mantids in disguise. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Let's count the heads. Yes, there are two. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Monarchs on the Move
The Monarchs are on the move. In the late summer and early fall, the Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) head for the California coastline or central Mexico to overwinter. "Monarchs west of the Rocky...
A Monarch nectaring on a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Monarch soars, spreading its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Monarch showing its brilliant colors. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Monarch, outlined against a blue sky, sips nectar from a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Freeloaders Never Miss a Meal
If your dog is well, a little chunky, you're probably accustomed to someone saying "Fido never misses a meal, does he?" Well, those little freeloader flies never miss a meal, either. They not...
A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) wraps a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Freeloader flies, family Milichildae, gather around the abandoned prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of freeloader flies on a bee wrapped by a banded garden spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Sheridan Miller: A Tireless Worker Bee
Her name is Sheridan Miller. If there's a human equivalent of a honey bee, she's it. She's a worker bee. We first met Sheridan Miller, 11, of Mill Valley when she visited the Harry...
Beekeeper Brian Fishback helping Sheridan Miller with her hive. (Photo by Craig Miller)
Sheridan Miller, then 11, was honored by Neal Van Alfen, then dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, at the opening of the Department of Entomology's bee garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)