Bug Squad

Aren't syrphid flies grand? Syrphid flies, aka hover flies or flower flies (family Syrphidae), are especially grand in a Calandrinia grandiflora, aka rock purslane.

Is coconut oil effective in treating varroa mites, those nasty little mites that plague our honey bees? The facts aren't in, and research is ongoing.

Yarrow, yarrow, yarrow. Drone fly, drone fly, drone fly. This little insect is often mistaken for a honey bee. In the adult stage, both the drone fly and honey bee nectar flowers. However, the drone fly is a syrphid fly (family Syrphidae, subfamily Eristalinae, tribe Eristalini, genus, Eristalis).

It's an amazing migratory feat. "One generation of monarch butterflies flutters some 2000 miles between southern Canada and central Mexico," writes LiveScience senior writer Wynne Parry in her piece, "Life's Little Mysteries" posted Nov. 4 on the LiveScience website.

If youre into bugs, the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus has plenty of them. Butterflies? Check. Dragonflies? Check. Native bees? Check.