Bug Squad

Everyone's talking about the drones. You know, the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Those flying robots cruising over our heads--some with cameras for journalistic and research purposes and others with "need-to-know" purposes.

It's been called a "wake-up call." And that it is. It's designed to alert people to a problem that needs fixing. And that's good news for the monarch butterflies. California Gov.

Professor Walter Leal of the University of California, Davis, is co-chairing the 2016 International Congress of Entomology (ICE) conference, themed "Entomology Without Borders," to be held Sept. 25-30 in Orlando, Fla. Some 7000 entomologists from all over the world are expected to attend.

It will be a monarch-kind of day. And why not? Monarch enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the "Welcome Back Monarchs Day" on Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Natural Bridges State Park, 2531 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz.

Entomologist Jeff Smith of Rocklin, an associate at the Bohart Museum of Entomology who has saved the museum some $160,000 over a 27-year period through his volunteer service, received a well deserved "Friend of the College Award of Distinction from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environme...