Bug Squad

Just when folks were beginning to think "it may be over and done" regarding Asian giant hornet sightings, it's not. The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has just trapped its first Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, which the news media dubbed "the murder hornet.

It's a long-awaited book, 25 years in the making. And it's sure to "bee" among the very best. Eminent honey bee geneticist and biologist Robert E. Page Jr.

It's not often you see a Mexican cactus fly, Copestylum mexicanum, nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia. At first glance, you may think the insect is a carpenter bee or bumble bee. Then you see it hovering. Then you see its head. Then you see its stubby antennae.

Remember those Asian giant hornets, which the news media dubbed "the murder hornets?" No, they're not back, but they are in the news. Or specifically, in a podcast.

Have are you faring during the COVID-19 crisis? If you have a pollinator garden--or access to you--and a camera, you can step out of The Great Indoors and enjoy The Great Outdoors. A newly eclosed Western Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, however, can take your breath away.