Alaskan wasps add sting to debate over global warming

When last summer was so warm and sunny, we loved it. Or most people did. Only really cranky folks would find a reason to complain about good weather in Alaska. But this summer's changes are even causing optimists to make the switch to energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs. The blueberries, raspberries and salmonberries are huge and abundant, and many have been ripe since the Fourth of July. Cherry trees all over town have already been picked, but some are still so full the branches touch the ground. And it is not just fruit that has gone crazy. Glaciers are melting, rivers are high, salmon are slow and the wind kicks up whitecaps most afternoons. The warmest spring on record has also created a bumper crop of yellow jackets and hornets. Last year, our hardware store sold 10 cans of hornet killer. In one day this week, we sold 120.