Swarm

Bumblebees act like copycats, following another bee's lead when foraging for food in unfamiliar flowers, according to a study in this week's issue of the journal Current Biology. This research on the "bumblebee mind" may offer insight into the survival and growth of plant species that depend on bees for pollination. The insects' social interactions, such as "bee dances," are among the most complex systems of communication in the animal kingdom.

Cedar Point theme park in Ohio plans to add a $25-million record-setting winged roller coaster in 2013, according to local media reports. Photos: Winged roller coaster at Cedar Point The Swiss-based Bolliger & Mabillard Wing Rider, dubbed "CP Alt.Winged," would be the world's fastest and longest winged coaster with a taller initial drop than any similar ride, according to a memo obtained by the  Sandusky Register newspaper....

Talk about adding a late-inning buzz to a ballgame. The Houston Astros -- who once had the "Killer Bs" -- beat the San Diego Padres, 7-2, on Thursday, but only after waiting out a 52-minute delay in the top of the ninth inning caused when a swarm of bees took over part of left field at Petco Park. Geoff Blum hit a three-run homer and finished with four runs batted in. The Astros won three of four against the Padres.

It already looks like 2012 will prove to be a good year for globetrotting ride enthusiasts as theme parks in Asia, Europe and South America are planning to roll out major new attractions. > Photos: Best new international theme park rides for 2012 Theme parks around the world are preparing a highly anticipated slate for 2012 that includes record-setting roller coasters, one-of-a-kind attractions, pulse-quickening thrill rides and family-friendly themed lands. Since it is still early, I'll update my Top 20 over the coming months as new projects are announced.

The X-Flight coaster coming in May to Six Flags Great America will take riders seated in a winged formation through a near-miss keyhole fly-through that serves as the new ride's signature element. PHOTOS: X-Flight wing coaster at Six Flags Great America Themed to look like a stealth fighter jet, the new wing coaster at the Chicago-area amusement park will feature trains with seats that straddle the track, giving riders the sensation of having nothing above or below them.

The $20-million Wild Eagle at Dollywood in Tennessee is on track to be the first winged coaster in the U.S. when it opens in March 2012. > Photos: Wild Eagle winged coaster at Dollywood With riders sitting on either side of the track in a winged formation, Dollywood's sixth coaster will feature trains themed as bald eagles with outstretched wings. The Bolliger & Mabillard Wing Rider would be the second coaster of its kind in the world following the 2011 debut of Raptor at Italy's Gardaland . Similar B&M Wing Rider coasters also are scheduled to open next year at Six Flags Great America outside Chicago ( X-Flight )

Americans have been ambivalent about immigration since the nation's beginning. Benjamin Franklin, before he signed the Declaration complaining about barriers to immigration, was complaining about immigrants. Germans, the doughty Pennsylvanian groused, were being allowed "to swarm into our settlements and by herding together establish their language and manners to the exclusion of ours."

I think it is great and quite appropriate for Hart to re-enter the race. I do not agree with your editorial "He's Back" (Dec. 16). What is wrong with any citizen running for President? I feel that the press ran him out of the running by descending upon him and his family like a swarm of bees about an issue which shouldn't have been an issue. I don't think personal affairs should be the whole focus of testing a candidate. RICHARD E. VAUGHN San Clemente

Swarms of locusts have attacked rice and other crops in northern Dagestan, threatening harvests and winter pastures for more than 1.5 million sheep, Russian regional officials said. The first insects appeared in three districts June 9 and have covered about 44 square miles, the Dagestani Emergency Committee said.

As insect experts searched a 400-square-mile area in Kern County for the fugitive queen of a swarm of Africanized honey bees, agriculture officials were hoping today that there was only a single colony of the aggressive "killer bees." Large numbers of the bees were killed by Kern County agricultural officials, who sprayed their adopted home in a kit fox burrow, but no queen for the swarm was found afterward. "Not finding a queen is not a good sign," Howell V.