TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Usually swarms of wasps and bees are not seen as a good omen, but the large numbers spotted in coastal areas up north are being hailed by some as a sign of a rainy and snowy winter to come, something Lebanon desperately needs after a year of drought and low rainfall. According to some elderly residents in Lebanese villages, wasps and bees have good instincts when it comes to changes in the weather and their escape from mountainous areas to warmer regions is a sign of an imminent drop in temperatures, coupled with rains and snow. Many of those who spoke to The Daily Star recalled the phenomenon of migrating wasps that occurred in the mid-eighties that was followed by a particularly harsh winter; exceptionally low temperatures, heavy rains and snows that isolated mountain areas for weeks. [Link]