Bug Squad

What are the important considerations when contemplating the biological control of pests? That's one of the topics when the Northern California Entomology Society meets on Thursday, Nov. 1 from 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District, 155 Mason Circle, Concord.

Quick, what's the state insect of South Dakota? If you answered "the European honey bee," you're right.

It's "Orange October" for the San Francisco Giants, who just defeated the Detroit Tigers in the opening game of the World Series. But over at the Luther Burbank's Gold Ridge Experiment Farm at 7781 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, it's Blue October.

When you combine a "boo" with a "hiss," what do you get? The Bohart Museum of Entomology's annual pre-Halloween open house. The "boo"--in the way of costumes and decorations--is traditional. The hiss? That's the sound emanating from the Madagascar hissing cockroaches, aka "hissers.

Whew! That was close! When you see a butterfly with a gaping hole in its wingspan, you wonder what predator tried to grab it. A praying mantis? A bird? A crab spider or jumping spider? A playful cat or dog? Whatever tried to grab it, it missed.