Bug Squad

Did you celebrate Happy Solstice Day on Dec. 21? That's the astronomical moment, according to the Farmer's Almanac, "when the Sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn" and "we have our shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere in terms of daylight.

Christmas morning and the sights are bright. Santa came in his sleigh last night. He came with a whoosh and a ho-ho-ho. He came with a monarch and a no-no-no. "Don't let them get extinct," he said with a shout. And that's what endangered species are all about.

In the year 2020, COVID chased us out of our work places and out of our fun places. So we dutifully covered our faces to cover all the bases, washed our hands to meet all the demands, and kept our distance to continue our existence. But wait...we did NOT socially distance from the insects.

We were saddened to learn of the passing Sunday, Dec. 20, of agricultural icon Richard "Rich" Rominger, 93, former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the President Bill Clinton administration, and former Secretary of the California Department of Agriculture in the Gov.

Are beekeepers immune from COVID-19 infections? Newly published research in the journal Toxicon indicates "No, they're not.