Bugs in the Wood

[KiwiCharlie]

G'day,

Just wondering what nasties you guys get in your wood up there?  Heres one I come across here!

http://members.tripod.com/NZPhoto/animal/weta.htm

Cheers
Charlie.

[Bud Man]

Fish Bait

[Jeff]

How big is that thing?

[Frank_Pender]

Hey, Charlie, thanks for the lesson in antemology this morning. ;)  :P Especially, before I eat my oatmeal. :D  They ook as though they could add a real crunck to my breakfast. 8) 8)

[Ron Scott]

Looks like a good timber processor design.

[KiwiCharlie]

G'day Jeff,

Most of them fit nicely under the sole of my boot!!  Just kidding, they get to be quite large, the biggest Ive seen was body length about 5 inches, then add another 6 or 7 inches for the grasshopper type back legs and really long antenna thingys.  There are Giant wetas too -

http://www.bigjude.com/Weta.html

They just look so mean!  The ladies will bite, but only during mating season I think - guess I should feel flattered!
We also have the Tuatara, not a bug but a prehistoric beast still living, was around when the dinosaurs were!
Cheers
Charlie.

http://members.tripod.com/NZPhoto/animal/tuatara.htm

[Tom]

Thanks Charlie,
Entomology has been my interest since about 15 years of age. I even studied at the University, finding out too late that nobody wanted to pay for the knowledge.  At least I learned something that I wanted to learn as opposed to the regimen of the University, to teach what they could sell.  As an Agricultural student I didn't have much interest in foreign languages or modern logic with its modus ponens and modus tolens.  :D
 
Insects are really neat though. We have some quite large ones here as well but nothing like that.  The largest around here is a "Walking Stick".  I find them on logs when I'm sawing and, to keep from destroying them with my sawblade, put them on the brim of my hat.  They don't seem to mind being on an animal and will wander around until on my shoulder or back at which time I try to find a place in the flora for them that will be safe.


We destroy a lot of insects through fear or repulsion that are generally harmless and  most always helpful to our species.  What a shame to see an insect stomped because somebody doesn't know what it is.

Sometimes here we run into Giant Water Beetles,  Hemiptera belostomatidae.  The are found under street lights at night during their mating season and make great mounts for entomology students.

[Ron Scott]

Both are a must for a good insect collection. I can remember how hard I looked for them.

[Bud Man]

So much for the collections, you better wear some gloves for that water beetle critter, they can draw about a pint of blood if they take a notion to bite !    Kiwi, is that Tuatara thing the critter that's in all the dinosaur movies doing the fighting scenes ?

[Jeff]

My greatest bug find as a kid was a giant moth called Cecropia Moth. The Biggest N.American moth. I have only seen 3 of them in my life. Always dead.
These buggers are about 6 inches across and Beautiful

[Tom]

With food sources this diverse it looks like the moth would be quite common.  I guess that since many of the plants are fruit trees or trees commonly sprayed for control of other insects, this moth suffers as well.
http://www3.islandtelecom.com/~oehlkew/xceclarv.htm

[swampwhiteoak]

This is one of my favorites.  Doesn't look to impressive on a white background, but it is.  I also like rhinocerus beetles.  Insects are facinating creatures.  Cept for gypsy moths, asian long-horned beetles, and southern pine beetles, which are of course spawns of the devil.

[Tom]

This brings back fond memories of school.   I wonder where a fellow could get some potasium cyanide crystals for a kill jar?  ;D

[Bud Man]

We bought the potassium cyanide at the corner drug store , bet if you wanted some today you'd have to fill out a form and the next week or so have some federal folks out for an interview.