Try saying that three times fast…

And after you tripped over your tongue, you can enjoy (?) links to stories from around the state on, well, fish, bugs, and bats:

Fish: Eat these fish please! From the Charlotte Observer of all places:

A fishing tournament in Morehead City this spring aims to reduce the numbers of a destructive invasive species of fish that’s hard to catch.

The first annual “If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em” spearfishing tournament aims to educate the public about lionfish, a delicious but rarely eaten invasive species off the North Carolina coast, event coordinator Janelle Fleming said. Lionfish are native to the Pacific Ocean and have become unwanted guests of the coast in recent years.

Fish: But you may not want to eat striped bass from Lake Norman. From the UPoR:

North Carolina health officials […] issued the first fish-consumption advisory for Lake Norman, warning the public of striped bass tainted by chemicals known as PCBs. Striper fishing is a popular sport on Lake Norman, the state’s largest manmade body of water. Most fishermen – but not all – release their catch.

Bug: The whole periodic cicada thing always confused me. This Raleigh News & Observer article though has gone a long way towards addressing. The key fact:

“One group of 13-year cicadas and two 17-year broods are found in North Carolina. The last seen here was Brood XIX, a 13-year cicada that appeared in 2011.”

And yes, one of the broods of 17-year cicadas are expected in portions of the state this year, though not in the Charlotte area.

Bat: White nose syndrome has killed millions of bats across the United States and has now been found in caves in the North Carolina mountains. A lot remains unknown about the disease though, including whether it can spread to bats that don’t live in caves. The Fayetteville Observer offers up an article explaining what we do and don’t know. Sample quote from a wildlife biologist with Fort Bragg’s Endangered Species Branch:

“It may simply be that the reason white nose hasn’t been found in caves of eastern North Carolina … is because there aren’t caves in eastern North Carolina.”

Bug: The invasive pest knows as kudzu bugs is spreading across the south. The good news is they really, really like kudzu. The bad news is they also have an appetite for soybeans. And then there’s their other unfortunate trait. As the Raleigh News & Observer reports:

“The bugs are also known as nuisance pests for their tendency to congregate on houses, which they may mistake for trees, [NCSU entomology professor Dominic] Reisig says. They also secrete a smelly, caustic substance when touched. “It’s like a chemical that leaves an orange stain on the skin and is itchy,” he said. “Some people even get blisters.”