Who can explain the subtle differences of cell configuration within the wing of a wasp? Or the reasons that, while all bugs are insects, not all insects can be called bugs?

Just ask Skagit County’s resident entomologist, Lloyd Eighme of Lyman. He can answer many such questions, with knowledge gained from his lifelong experience in entomology (study of insects) and as a professor of biology for 30 years.

Eighme also recently completed a book focusing on local insects. “Insects of Skagit County” is a fascinating, accessible guide to identifying and understanding the many tiny critters we see in our gardens and fields.

The book is well illustrated with photographs to help identify beneficial insects, such as the larvae of lady beetles (aka ladybugs), or less desirable insects such as the asparagus beetle, whose name reflects its diet.

The loosely bound volume can be purchased at the Skagit County Extension office, or at the next Washington State University Know and Grow workshop on Oct. 13.

Always interested in nature, Eighme grew up near Granite Falls. He asked his parents for help identifying the array of crawling, flying and wriggling insects he found in his explorations. When they didn’t know the answers, they suggested he ask his teachers.

Eighme went beyond simply asking; he “absorbed” a series of nature books in his junior high school homeroom.

By the time he went to high school, Eighme had created an insect collection — and developed a reputation as a budding expert. His teachers even turned to him for answers to any questions about insects.

And even before his formal teacher training, Eighme enjoyed sharing his knowledge. He taught high school and college biology, then earned a doctorate in entomology at Oregon State University.

The OSU entomology department’s research collection contained more than a million different specimens. From this array of insects, Eighme began to focus on the many varieties of wasps.

Later in his career, Eighme discovered a new species of predatory wasp called Pulveero, which means “digging in the dirt.” This wasp literally digs a chamber in the ground where it lays an egg and feeds its young with aphids. This is good news; anything that eats aphids is a gardener’s friend.

For more than 30 years, Eighme taught biology and entomology at Pacific Union College in northern California.

The nearby wilderness became his classroom, where he taught students to collect specimens and study the complex roles insects play in the ecosystem.

The retired doctor continues to generously share his knowledge with Skagit County’s Master Gardeners. He also was honored in 2007 as Skagit County’s Master Gardener of the Year.

The insects featured in his book are part of the vast insect collection he has created, which is housed at the Skagit County Extension office in Burlington. Gardeners are welcome to view the collection by appointment.

Meet the Bug Man and his insects

What: Meet “Bug Man” Lloyd Eighme of Lyman and learn about some local insects at this Master Gardener WSU Know and Grow Workshop

When: 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13

Where: WSU research center auditorium, 16650 Memorial Highway 536, west of Mount Vernon

More information: Admission is free. Direct any questions to the WSU Skagit County Extension office, 360-428-4270, ext. 0

More Information

PNW bulletin 550, “Encouraging Beneficial Insects in Your Garden,” is available at WSU Skagit County Extension or online at http://pubs.wsu

“Beneficial Garden Insects” is available at the Oregon State University Cooperative Extension, http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/grow/grow/insects.html#anchor1159937

In Spanish: “La Entomología Básica para Jardineros (Basic Entomology for Gardeners),” http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/ec/ec1545-s-e.pdf

Virgene Link is a Master Gardener and an assistant curator of the insect collection at the WSU Extension office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233. 360-428-4270.