Bug Squad

He went from researching pest insects to targeting chronic pain in humankind.

The 4-H Youth Development Program is an incredible opportunity for youths to learn new skills, make new friends, and become involved in leadership activities and community service projects. It's all about "Making the Best Better" and "Learn by Doing.

Soon the quince and almonds will burst into bloom. Soon the honey bees will be buzzing all over them. And soon will be the third annual "The Feast: A Celebration with Mead and Honey," formerly known as the "Mid-Winter Beekeepers' Feast.

Oh, what a treasure to bee-hold! If you've ever visited UC Berkeley's Hastings Natural History Reserve in the upper Carmel Valley, Monterey County, and admired the yellow-faced bumble bees and other native bees foraging on vetch and lupine in the meadows, that's a scene you'll never forget.

If you've ever tried to rear monarch butterflies, you may have encountered a caterpillar parasitized by a tachinid fly, which oviposits or injects its eggs into it. The fly's life cycle continues, but the host dies. The tachinid fly is a parasitoid.