Find out where your firewood comes from to prevent the spread of invasive pests

Crackling fires have long been a gathering place where idyllic chestnuts are roasted, stories shared and souls warmed, whether around a hearth or at a campsite. Some folks cut their own wood and let it season, but most buy their wood without much thought about where it came from. As...

PHOTO COLLECTION: Insect and Animal Life

Invasive 'murder hornets' are wiped out in the US, officials say

SEATTLE (AP) — The world's largest hornet, an invasive breed dubbed the “murder hornet” for its dangerous sting and ability to slaughter a honey bee hive in a matter of hours, has been declared eradicated in the U.S., five years after being spotted for the first time in Washington state near...

Gardening can be a four-season labor of love. Here's a look at some winter tasks and projects

I see you, sitting there by the fire with your cup of hot cocoa (or wine). Don’t get too comfortable. You might think you can rest on your laurels now that there’s a break in the mowing, weeding, sowing and planting action. But fall and winter are the best times to tend to your...

From yuck to profits: Some Zimbabwe farmers turn to maggots to survive drought and thrive

NYANGAMBE, Zimbabwe (AP) — At first, the suggestion to try farming maggots spooked Mari Choumumba and other farmers in Nyangambe, a region in southeastern Zimbabwe where drought wiped out the staple crop of corn. After multiple cholera outbreaks in the southern African nation...

Fossilized dinosaur feces and vomit help scientists reconstruct the creatures' rise

NEW YORK (AP) — Using fossilized feces and vomit samples from Poland, scientists have reconstructed how dinosaurs came to dominate the Earth millions of years ago. Researchers aren't sure whether dinosaurs' rise over the course of 30 million years happened because of luck, skill,...

Views on garden insects are changing. Why many former 'pests' are now valued

A neighbor texted me this week asking for advice about controlling carpenter bees. She was hoping for an exterminator recommendation, but I gave her a simple, do-it-yourself solution that is easier on the wallet and environment, and even more effective. It got me thinking about the...

Figures and Dobson trade jabs in testy debate, Here are the key takeaways

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Congressional hopefuls Shomari Figures and Caroleene Dobson clashed in a contentious debate Thursday, exchanging verbal jabs over each other's background and sparring over abortion, immigration and the economy. Figures, a Democrat, and Dobson, a Republican,...

Scientists recreate the head of this ancient 9-foot-long bug

WASHINGTON (AP) — As if the largest bug to ever live – a monster nearly 9 feet long with several dozen legs – wasn’t terrifying enough, scientists could only just imagine what the extinct beast’s head looked like. That’s because many of the fossils of these creatures are...