favourite insect

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

a couple of years ago i was practicing in my back yard and was engulfed by a small swarm of dragon flies. i kept practicing thinking they'd get out of the way or get knocked aside-and they'd learn to stay out of my way. well this went on for several weeks. one day they were gone. now every fall about mating season for dragonflies and again around hatching time i get small swarms of dragonflies in my backyard doing small flight patterns that resemble the forms i was working on. most notable was a staff form where one end of the staff was up in the air for several moves- and the dragon flies were trying to land on it. (later i learned they like the highest place overlooking a garden as a hunting perch). so just moments ago i saw this dragon fly mimicing the end of the staff's movements through my back yard. seems i have a student after all! :) :) :)

[EarthDragon]

Well I might be biased here but hands down the coolest most vicious insect is definatly the praying mantis.... whiel the dragon fly is also an extremly cool insect. Nothing can come close to the mantis which looms over its opponents then with razor sharp forearms and lighting speed snatches it prey then chews a whole in the throat........ nice

[FuXnDajenariht]

i was watching the discovery channel last night. lets just say i have a new found respect for ants. ferocious little *******s. 2,000 you have a fighting chance....500,000 is pushing your luck but come across 20 mil. and your plain old screwed.

[brothernumber9]

who needs hundreds of thousands when one Jack-Jumper can leave you dead in less than an hour.

In relation to the first post, I was in Cambodia in April in a country-side town, standing in the street and there were thousands and thousands of dragon flies that came through in a giant swarm, I'd never seen anything like it ever, it lasted for over 30 minutes, seemd like it was snowing dragon flies, of all different colors, and none of them would touch you.

[SevenStar]

I like spiders. And since the poster related his story, here's mine.

One particular night, when I was still living with my parents, a spider had made a HUGE web outside our front door. The next morning, I just walked around it, but my dad took a broom stick and knocked it down. That night, there was another web in the same place. When morning came, my father knocked it down. This happened two more times. Finally, When I came home on the fifth night, the web was there - but in the morning, it was gone before my father got to it.... And it was back up that night. For the next week or so, it built it's web and (I'm assuming) it was also taking it down before morning.

[MasterKiller]

I like ladybugs.

[PangQuan]

These bugs are hardcore. (http://www.msstate.edu/org/mississippientmuseum/images/Hutchinsphotos/lucanid.jpg)

[IronFist]

For the next week or so, it built it's web and (I'm assuming) it was also taking it down before morning.

I've never heard of a spider taking its web down before.

You sure your father didn't just knock it down earlier?

To answer the question, I think stick bugs are cool. (I said stick, not stink). I've only seen one twice in my life, but each time I stared at it for like 2 minutes while it walked across the ground in front of me. Awesome camoflauge!

[PangQuan]

STICK BUGS ROCK!!

growing up in the middle of the woods in texas I got plenty of opportunity to hang out with bugs, and stick bugs are high on the list.

Those beatles i posted are tough SOB's though...

[Mr Punch]

I like spiders. And since the poster related his story, here's mine.

One particular night, when I was still living with my parents, a spider had made a HUGE web outside our front door. The next morning, I just walked around it, but my dad took a broom stick and knocked it down. That night, there was another web in the same place. When morning came, my father knocked it down. This happened two more times. Finally, When I came home on the fifth night, the web was there - but in the morning, it was gone before my father got to it.... And it was back up that night. For the next week or so, it built it's web and (I'm assuming) it was also taking it down before morning.Your father didn't burn any cakes did he?

[Mr Punch]

Saw my first wild mantids in Kyoto the other day. The first one was next to the temple where Yo****sune supposedly spent ten years learning bujutsu from the tengu. It was cool, small and brown. Just waiting.

The second one was hyyyyuuuuuuuge. Must have been a good six inches. Green. Evil and spikey looking. What I didn't realize, until it moved from the ceiling of the train towards the group of cute young Japanese 20-something ladies is that they fly! They're not exactly graceful, or quick, but I didn't even know they could do it!

On the same trip I saw lots of hornets. Don't know if they're the same as hornets anywhere else, but the Japanese ones, they say, will often kill you if they sting you twice. Big scary looking mofos they were too.

Those stag beetles we get loads of over here, and a few in the UK too. My friend keeps them.

I used to keep stick insects and you can see them a lot in the wild over here. The big ones are pretty impressive.

But the best bugs by far I've met in the world are the geji-geji. I've no idea wtf this is in English. My dictionary says house centipede, but these are the strangest looking ****ers on the planet, and to call one a centipede doesn't really do it justice. In fact they really look like a long hairy alien designed by Tim Burton after a night on fly agaric, crossed between a rogue Pak Mei's white eyebrow, of the variety often found scootling along in the background of Morecambe and Wise sets. Definitely not of this world.

There we are on the same trip to Kyoto, by a river at night in the misty wilds of the mountains, lit with paper lanterns with a bamboo roof and a bamboo screen, eating many many courses of the most exotic food and drinking the most gorgeous sake and umeshu Japan has to offer, being entertained by genuine maiko-san, with their eerily beautiful white make-up, exquisite smell, musical giggles and slow elegant dances... already in another world, when along scuttles this huge bright yellow eyebrow. I'm told they're black by the light of day, but this had the light of a paper lantern behind it and it glowed a hairy yellow-green. It was so fast! I've never seen a bug run so fast before. ****ing hilarious!!! I wished I'd had a better camera!

Quick edit... according to a quick google search these are gejigeji (http://homepage3.nifty.com/rurounotami/yokosuka_hashirimizu05.htm) but the one I saw was way way cuter and furrier looking and as I said, bright luminous yellow... about four inches btw.

[IronFist]

^ I saw a video about these Japanese bees that basically come in and take over "regular" bees hives. I forgot the numbers, but an army of like 30 can take out a hive of 30,000 regular bees. They were freaking enormous, too. I would hate to be stung by one of those guys. I'll see if I can find a link to the video.

[IronFist]

Wow, I was right! It was 30 vs. 30,000.

Streaming .wmv (mms://stream.eizodana.com/olympus/m01_hi.wmv) vid clip. 30 giant hornets take on 30,000 bees and win... in 3 hours. Each giant hornet is 5 times bigger than a regular bee.

I can't believe some of the footage in that clip. They must have had some powerful zooming lenses because there's no way in hell I would be anywhere NEAR that battle.

More info on the giant hornets (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/10/1025_021025_GiantHornets.html). Up to two inches long with a three inch wing span. Holy sh.it! One sting from their 1/4" long stinger can kill a human if left untreated. :eek:

[PangQuan]

i remember seeing that. it was set up with cameras and all, even bee back cameras.

the ultimate death match. I think i remember saying that they were a type of hornet.

they literally started ripping bees head off and torso's in half. by the end of it there were piles of dismembered bee bodies lying everywhere.

[FuXnDajenariht]

yea those yellow hornets are badass. its from a show they rerun on the national geographics channel sometimes. called "bugs!" i think.

[Dim Wit Mak]

Yuan: I like ladybugs too. You might even follow the example of some of the great Kung Fu masters and develop your own system of Dragonfly Kung Fu. I will become your bug disciple.

[MasterKiller]

So, is no one man enough to call 7* a dumb@ss for calling spiders an insect???

[Dim Wit Mak]

If you saw my grade in biology, you'd know why I didn't call him on it because I don't know the difference between an anachrid, anarchist, and Ana Bell from Little Rock.

[Mr Punch]

Holy Jackie H Chan! Those are the babies!

Those are the very same mofos I saw in the mountains in Kyoto!

You know loads of people had told me that two stings and you're history, and they also said that the stings didn't even have to be at the same time... so you can be stung once and ten years later stung again and it's curtains. I was like 'Yeah right': although the Japanese aren't exactly given to old wives' tales, I just didn't believe it having been stung countless times by UK bees and wasps.

I even asked a couple of doctors and they concurred.

But this is the first time I've seen evidence!

No wonder my girlfriend ran away crying when a particularly persistent one followed us around in a wood with hundreds of the ****ers in! I shall have to apologise to her profusely for not taking her seriously enough, and maybe even kill myself... AGAIN! :( :eek: :D

We saw nests too...

There were loads of them near the Kurama Tengu Shrine of Yo****sune's training... I wonder if he was so badass cos he learnt jedi hornet chopping techs...!? :cool: :D :rolleyes:

[SimonM]

Saw my first wild mantids in Kyoto the other day. The first one was next to the temple where Yo****sune supposedly spent ten years learning bujutsu from the tengu. It was cool, small and brown. Just waiting.

The second one was hyyyyuuuuuuuge. Must have been a good six inches. Green. Evil and spikey looking. What I didn't realize, until it moved from the ceiling of the train towards the group of cute young Japanese 20-something ladies is that they fly! They're not exactly graceful, or quick, but I didn't even know they could do it!


I saw little green mantids all the time back in Ontario. When I was a kid I used to love playing with them. No, never hurting them, just putting things in their path for them to climb on, trying to encourage them to use their claws on a sick, stuff like that. I saw my first flying mantis in China; it was about 3.5 inches long, brown and landed on my shoulder.

[David Jamieson]

Respect the Wasp mofos.

30 of em can kill off 300,000 bees in a 4 hour sortee.

they be vicious.

[FuXnDajenariht]

So, is no one man enough to call 7* a dumb@ss for calling spiders an insect???

the man just lost 300 cred points. i was tryin ta overlook it. but yea spiders are arachnids.

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

Yuan: I like ladybugs too. You might even follow the example of some of the great Kung Fu masters and develop your own system of Dragonfly Kung Fu. I will become your bug disciple.

dragon flies' favourite meal is ladybug. i happen to like ladybugs, though. they're really good for my garden. but i think i'd go out and find ladybugs to keep the dragonflies around.

like american honey bees they are amazingly social and don't seem to mind human interaction or even a little human interferance in thier nesting and feeding habbits. there's one that opens it's mandible on both sides showing it's teeth every time it graces me. i can't help but think it's waiting for me to shove a nice fat ladybug in there. :cool: but, knowing my luck he's probably saying, "wanna see me fit you in here?"

thanks for the offer, but you will have to be the dragon fly's student. the dragon fly learns from me. you will learn from the dragon fly. from father to son and from platonic form to martin buber. perhaps you will be a better student of the dragon fly style than i for i mimic my sifu and the dragonfly mimics me to the best of his ability. so you shall mimic the dragonfly to the best of your ability. becareful though, there are many tantilizing deceptions within the garden of knowledge: most dangerous for dragonfly is the spider's strategum. second most deadly is the hook-clawed grasshopper. third most deadly is the night watchmen of the garden, the racoon and the oppossum. fourth you must develop your qi gong fu against the impossible insecticide: this is accomplished by the gong of the 30,000 flap breath and the three day draught gong. much work to do for you to catch up to dragonfly. but first you must lighten your step like dragonfly and bend the wind to your intent. :D

[BAI HE]

I'll still take the jump jack ants over anything. I saw a documentary on those things. They have a real bad attitude and are ultra agressive. When other animals here them on the march? They ****ing run like hell,
bugs, snakes, lizards etc.
They also **** humans up pretty good and can kill with a bite if not promptly trated.

[Tingjid]

I have to stand with dragonflys on this one also. The last time I went to my Great Grandfather's cabin there were hundereds on the lake. When we went fishing, they would keep the horseflies away. This one that seemed somewhat fond of me, hung out for a few hours. He(or She, I don't guess I know) would come up and come within about 2 inches of my eyes as long as I didn't move and stayed relaxed. He was real friendly. He came back a few times and showed me his latest meal. It was odd, like he was proud of catching whatever little bug he had and wanted to show it off. I was appreciative though and it made my day :) .

[BAI HE]

I think the jack ants would tear the giant hornets to peices.
The hornets can take honey bee stings, but the jack ants bite can kill a human.
They also have the right , aggressive attitude.

As far as dragonflys go, put yourv finger close to them when they land. Often they will hop on it. I can't do it, but I've seen my wife do it a dozen times easy.

[cam]

Dragonflies are like the guard-dogs of the insect world!
Every year when I go cottaging, out on the Lakes with all the mosquitos, I could almost always count on some Dragonflies to chaperone me and my friends. The buzz that the big ones make is quite cool as well !

[IronFist]

Dragonflies can't bite or sting, can they? I'm kinda scared of them when they swarm around.

[IronFist]

Holy Jackie H Chan! Those are the babies!

Those are the very same mofos I saw in the mountains in Kyoto!

You know loads of people had told me that two stings and you're history, and they also said that the stings didn't even have to be at the same time... so you can be stung once and ten years later stung again and it's curtains. I was like 'Yeah right': although the Japanese aren't exactly given to old wives' tales, I just didn't believe it having been stung countless times by UK bees and wasps.

I even asked a couple of doctors and they concurred.

But this is the first time I've seen evidence!

No wonder my girlfriend ran away crying when a particularly persistent one followed us around in a wood with hundreds of the ****ers in! I shall have to apologise to her profusely for not taking her seriously enough, and maybe even kill myself... AGAIN! :( :eek: :D

We saw nests too...

There were loads of them near the Kurama Tengu Shrine of Yo****sune's training... I wonder if he was so badass cos he learnt jedi hornet chopping techs...!? :cool: :D :rolleyes:

Wait, those huge bees will kill you if you're stung twice EVER?

[cam]

Ironfist, if dragonflies are swarming about you, that's cool, it just means that they are looking for the bugs that probably want to feast on you.

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

Dragonflies can't bite or sting, can they? I'm kinda scared of them when they swarm around.

i suppose if they were hungry enough, but i've never heard of it. i think cam has the correct understanding: when they swarm they're hunting those bugs who hunt you. :D

[GeneChing]

To be stung to death by hornets is way up there on the list of crappy ways to check out.

Deadly giant hornets kill 42 people in China (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/03/world/asia/hornet-attack-china/)
By Madison Park. Dayu Zhang and Elizabeth Landau, CNN
October 4, 2013 -- Updated 0651 GMT (1451 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Hornet stings have killed 42 people and injured 1,675 in China since July
Shaanxi province sees unusual level of activity; dry weather, human moves are factors
People who have been stung are dying from allergic reactions or multiple organ failure
Type of hornet is also a threat to honeybees, often seen in Japan

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Hornets have killed dozens of people in China and injured more than 1,500 with their powerful venomous sting.

The Asian giant hornet, known scientifically as Vespa mandarinia, carries a venom that destroys red blood cells, which can result in kidney failure and death, said Justin O. Schmidt, an entomologist at the Southwest Biological Institute in Tucson, Arizona.

But perhaps a bigger problem than the toxicity of the venom is allergy, Schmidt says. Some people are naturally more allergic to stinging insects than others; a sting can trigger a deadly anaphylactic reaction, which may involve airway closure or cardiac arrest.

Since July, hornet attacks have killed 42 people and injured 1,675 people in three cities in Shaanxi province, according to the local government. Among those attacked, 206 are receiving treatment in hospitals.

What are these hornets?

In person, the Asian giant hornet, which is the largest hornet species in the world, looks like "the wasp analog of a pit bull" with "a face that looks like you just can't reason with it," said Christopher K. Starr, professor of entomology at University of West Indes in Trinidad & Tobago.

These hornets are found throughout East and Southeast Asia, in countries such as in China, Korea, Japan, India and Nepal.

And they're big. The giant hornet extends about 3.5 to 3.9 centimeters in length (1.4 to 1.5 inches), roughly the size of a human thumb, and it has black tooth used for burrowing, according to an animal database at the University of Michigan. The queens are even bigger, with bodies that can grow longer than 5 centimeters (2 inches).

The species feed their young the larvae of other insects and use their mandibles to sever the limbs and heads of their prey.

The giant hornets are attracted to human sweat, alcohol and sweet flavors and smells. They are especially sensitive to when animals or people run, according to Xinhua.

Every breeding season, the giant hornets produce an average of 10,000 offspring. They feast on other insects such as wasps and bees, launching coordinated attacks on the hives of their prey.

Most hornet hives or nests are tucked away in secluded places, such as tree hollows or even underground.

"It's very difficult to prevent the attacks, because hornet nests are usually in hidden sites," said Shunichi Makino, director general of the Hokkaido Research Center for Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in Japan.

What is the human impact?

Over the summer and early fall, hornets have invaded schools full of children and descended upon unsuspecting farm workers in China.

One of them is Mu Conghui, who was attacked in Ankang City while looking after her millet crop.

"The hornets were horrifying," she told Xinhua, the Chinese state-run news agency. "They hit right at my head and covered my legs. All of a sudden, I was stung, and I couldn't move.

"Even now, my legs are covered with sting holes."

Two months, 13 dialysis treatments and 200 stitches later, Mu still remains hospitalized and unable to move her legs.

Makino, who specializes in entomology, warned that the sting from an Asian giant hornet was severe compared with those of other insects.

The influx of venom to the human body can cause allergic reactions and multiple organ failure, leading to death. Patients like Mu have been receiving dialysis to remove the toxins from their bodies. In photos, patients bore deep, dark craters scattered across their limbs, the size of bullet wounds.

Dr. Wang Xue, director of the intensive care unit at First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University and an expert of the provincial hornet sting treatment guidance unit, warned in a Shaanxi government release that hornets tend to be aggressive and more active during September and October, their breeding season. The hornets do not go into hibernation until December, according to local government authorities.

Local authorities have deployed thousands of police officers and locals to destroy the hives. About 710 hives have been removed and at least 7 million yuan (about $1.1 million U.S.) sent to areas affected by hornets, according to a government press release.

Why so many attacks now?

The spate of attacks could be caused by the unusually dry weather in the area, authorities say. The arid environment makes it easier for hornets to breed. Urbanization could also be a contributing factor, as humans move into hornets' habitats.

Some experts cited in Xinhua stated additional factors such as increased vegetation and a decrease in the hornets' enemies, such as spiders and birds, because of ecological changes.

In other words, it's a good season for the hornet population, which makes it a bad season for people who encounter them.

The provincial government of Shaanxi has warned residents to wear long sleeves when outdoors and not to attempt to drive the swarms away or remove the hives.

Japan is familiar with Asian giant hornet stings, too. About 30 to 50 deaths are reported each year in Japan from such attacks, according to Japanese studies. Most of the deaths are due to allergies to the venom, Makino said.

The giant hornets are also destructive to western honeybees. Research in Japan suggests that tens of thousands of honeybee hives are damaged by the giant hornets each year.

How to protect yourself

People run into trouble when these hornets form a nest: a basketball-shaped nest that looks like it's made of gray paper, sometimes under an eave, Schmidt said. If you disturb one of these, or happen to whack a tree that has a nest in it, the hornets may respond as if they're under attack.

Humans can get themselves in danger by reacting poorly to these large hornets. If you see a nest or a hive, just avoid it, Schmidt says. If one of them buzzes around you, don't panic.

"Don't flap or scream or freak out," he advised. "Just calmly walk away."

One victim told local media this month that "the more you run, the more they want to chase you." Some victims described being chased about 200 meters (656 feet) by a swarm.

An area of research that hasn't been explored is how many people get stung by these hornets while taking down a nest in order to use the larvae as fish bait, or even to eat. The larvae do not have venom, Schmidt explained. But in general, people should not tamper with these nests.

As powerful as their sting can be, it is highly unlikely that these hornets would travel all the way to the United States to find a new home, Schmidt said, or in the United Kingdom for that matter. To go to Western Europe, they'd have to cross some "nasty deserts" to which they are not adapted.

As deadly as live adult giant hornets can be, some people don't shy away from them altogether.

There is a sports drink in Japan called VAAM that incorporates amino acids derived from hornets.

In Taiwan, where the giant hornet is known as the "tiger head," the insect is sometimes used in alcoholic drinks, Starr said, the idea being that "the essence of this great big strong hornet will go out into the booze, and when you drink it, you'll become strong."

That's one way to get a buzz.

[Syn7]

Spider wasps are pretty bad ass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFKQaU25puI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzJFzNr5YL4

[GoldenBrain]

I was reading in that Asian giant wasp article that they think it's unlikely that they are in the United States. Well, that's some bull because I used to see them all the time when I lived in North Carolina. I have a friend that was stung by one and the wound looked all necro like a fiddleback spider bite.


Those spider wasps are cool. We have them around here and it's pretty awesome to watch one take down a large spider. I've never seen a tarantula in our yard but we have some really big wolf spiders that they like to mess with.


Here's my favorite insect. They are all over the place here in North Texas. Even though this little guy is missing a leg, I'm sure he's still formidable.

7838

[Jimbo]

I wouldn't be surprised if some Asian giant wasps got to the U.S. on ships. If it's conceivable, then most likely it's happened already.

I love praying mantises. I've only seen them rarely, though. One night in Taiwan, I saw an enormous green mantis in some high grass near our hotel in Tianxiang, while traversing the East-West Cross-Island Highway (Hualien to Taichung).

I absolutely do NOT like a cousin of the mantis, the c0ckroach. That's something I dreaded when I lived over there. They're big, and they also fly at you sometimes. I am glad that praying mantises have been known to eat c0ckroaches, though.

[Syn7]

I absolutely do NOT like a cousin of the mantis, the c0ckroach. That's something I dreaded when I lived over there. They're big, and they also fly at you sometimes. I am glad that praying mantises have been known to eat c0ckroaches, though.

Gotta respect the resiliency though.

[GoldenBrain]

Hey Jimbo,

If you want to see more praying mantis in your area then you could visit your local plant nursery. The one we go to around here sells mantis cocoons which hatch about 200 each. 4 of those cocoons cost me about $25.00 last year and now I have praying mantis all over the place. It's not like we didn't have any mantis to begin with, it's just that I wanted to make sure they were plentiful in our gardens.

[Jimbo]

GoldenBrain,

Thanks for the suggestion! :)

[GoldenBrain]

GoldenBrain,

Thanks for the suggestion! :)

Anytime!:D

I did the same thing with dragonflies to help control mosquitoes. I just plopped a bunch of their eggs in the pond and now we have tons of cool ass dragonflies zipping around and virtually no mosquitoes. I've also introduced ladybugs, and a tiny parasitic wasp who's name escapes me, to help control pests, so we don't have to use insecticides. So far it's been a raging success. I'm the only one in the area who hasn't been overrun by squash bugs, aphids, grasshoppers and whatever that red bug is that eats up the tomatoes.

I said praying mantis is my favorite insect but I might have to change that to the dragonfly because they eat my least favorite insect, the mosquito.

[SoCo KungFu]

Since we're not actually going with "true" insects in this thread, leaf cutter ants. I can't think, off the top of my head, of any other invertebrate that has such a complex and vital role over such a large span of ecosystem as Amazon leaf cutter ants.

[Raipizo]

I might have to agree with GB, mantises are cool, they don't bother anyone, they're not gross, they kill other pest insects and they are just cool to watch. I don't see them very often where I live, maybe a few a year. Defaulted everyone's favorite bugs should be butterflies and bees, without them no food :p

[ShaolinDan]

To be stung to death by hornets is way up there on the list of crappy ways to check out.

I'm so glad I didn't know how dangerous these things really were until I got back here. I was scared enough of them as it was.

[GeneChing]

Army sent flame thrower to destroy huge wasp nest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_Bo2ro60ro)

One of the items on my bucket list is to shoot a flame thrower some day.

[GoldenBrain]

Defaulted everyone's favorite bugs should be butterflies and bees, without them no food :p

I took this photo on our morning walk today. Enjoy!

7851

[Jimbo]

I took this photo on our morning walk today. Enjoy!

7851

That's a great photo, GB!

I don't know why I forgot to mention butterflies. I always get a really positive feeling when I see one (or more). I remember an annual northern migration of them...don't remember if it happened every year, but it was cool when it happened. Haven't seen that happen in a long time, though. Only negative is that I'd be saddened seeing the ones that inevitably fall by the wayside.

[GeneChing]

I just posted this because of the photo.

How to ward off a giant hornet attack (http://qz.com/136411/how-to-ward-off-a-giant-hornet-attack/)
By Heather Timmons October 17, 2013

http://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/honet.jpg?w=880
This is not recommended. Reuters/stringer

Thumb-sized giant hornets, which have a sting that’s been likened to a hot nail going through your skin, continue to plague the Chinese province of Shaanxi. More than 40 people have been killed by hornet attacks, and there are nearly 1,700 reported injuries.

As Quartz has reported, the hornets are proliferating thanks to global warming and are spreading to Europe, where they’re eating smaller and friendlier local bees. Since they’re seemingly here to stay, doctors and insect specialists in China offered up these tips to prevent an attack, courtesy of China Daily:

Stay away from their nests. Giant Asian hornets, Vespa Mocsaryana and Vespa Mandarinia, do not generally sting without provocation, but anyone touching their nests is vulnerable to a group attack. Keep at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) away.

Don’t run. If you do accidentally disturb a hornet or its nest, keep in mind they can fly faster than you can run. Instead, crouch low to the ground, stop moving and try to cover your head. Hornets are intrigued by moving targets and consider running a provocation, explained Li Xin, a professor of insect research at Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University.

Wear brown or black. Giant hornets are excited by bright colors.

Skip the aftershave. They are drawn to perfume and cologne.

Don’t be drunk: They’re also agitated by the smell of alcohol.

While recent media coverage has focused on the destruction wrought by the hornets, they’re a useful part of the ecosystem, Chinese scientists note, eating flies and other pests. Their venom can also be used to treat arthritis. That said, you really don’t want to make them mad. Stay safe out there.

[Raipizo]

I just posted this because of the photo.

Dang. Imagine if that was a honeybee nest. All that honey :p

[GoldenBrain]

That's a great photo, GB!

Thanks! Not bad for leaning out over a creek bank with my iPhone. We see these little guys all around the property but they really like the minerals at the creek so that's where they tend to gather.



That's a scary big nest Gene. Especially considering the type of hornet that lived in it.

I had to burn out a yellow jacket nest one time. It was too close to the house and several stung the crap out of me so it had to go. Poison wouldn't kill it so next was diesel fuel and a match. After the bonfire burned out the ground collapsed and we found it was about as big as the nest that fella is holding up except it was under ground. The ground on top was so thin a person could have stepped right through and received a nasty surprise.

[Syn7]

After the bonfire burned out the ground collapsed and we found it was about as big as the nest that fella is holding up except it was under ground. The ground on top was so thin a person could have stepped right through and received a nasty surprise.

That would suck so bad. Just having a nice walk, then bam! Ya step into a whole bunch of nasty. I've had issues with wasps, but never hornets.

I really dislike yellow jackets. I woke up one day to being stung by one. Such a ****ty way to wake up. It's funny now, but at the time... not so much.

[ghostexorcist]

The mantis is also my favorite insect. It's not just for their grace and power either; they come in all sorts of cool variations.

The traditional green blade of grass

http://eofdreams.com/data_images/dreams/mantis/mantis-07.jpg

The beautiful pink flower

http://www.insectnet.com/photos/fauna2/images/f_bj_mantid.jpg

The terrifying devil

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8389851563_51b96e7579_z.jpg

The dead leaf

http://cdn.sneakhype.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/camouflage-dead-leaf-mantis.jpg

[wenshu]

Asilidae; Robber Fly aka The Assassin Fly
http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_robbers/images/Robber15.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asilidae

Japanese Hornet

http://i.imgur.com/psfzMy2.jpg

http://static.environmentalgraffiti.com/sites/default/files/images/http-inlinethumb37.webshots.com-44900-2492905810105960926S600x600Q85.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fTrSOFyfxs

The Japanese Hornet will murder the **** out of European Honey Bee colonies, however the native Japanese Honeybees have evolved a really intricate defense against giant hornet attacks.


Once a Japanese giant hornet has located a hive of European honey bees it leaves pheromone markers around it that quickly attract nest-mates to converge on the hive. A single hornet can kill forty European honey bees in a minute; a group of 30 hornets can destroy an entire hive containing 30,000 bees in a little more than three hours. The hornets kill and dismember the bees, returning to their nest with the bee thoraxes, which they feed to their larvae, leaving heads and limbs behind; the bee larvae are also taken to feed the hornet larvae. The hornets also eat the bees' honey.

The Japanese honey bee, however, has a defense against these attacks. When a hornet approaches the hive to release pheromones, the bee workers will retreat back to the hive, leaving an opening to allow the hornet scout to enter. At a given point, the bees emerge from their hiding places in an angry cloud formation containing some 500 individuals. They form a tight ball around the hornet that acts like a convection oven when the bees vibrate their wings to direct air over their bodies, warmed by their muscular exertion, into the inside of the ball. The interior temperature of the ball rises to 47 °C (117 °F). The hornet can survive maximum temperatures of 44–46 °C (111–115 °F), but the bees can survive up to 48–50 °C (118–122 °F), so the hornet is killed and the bees survive.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_giant_hornet

[GoldenBrain]

That would suck so bad. Just having a nice walk, then bam! Ya step into a whole bunch of nasty. I've had issues with wasps, but never hornets.

I really dislike yellow jackets. I woke up one day to being stung by one. Such a ****ty way to wake up. It's funny now, but at the time... not so much.


That's a terrible way to start the day.

We also have the dreaded fire ant here. Sometimes they have nests big enough to step through and when you do you get about 100,000 of them *******s on you before you can get your leg up out of the hole. It's not happened to me but I've heard stories. The bad thing about a fire ant is they bite, hold on and sting at the same time. And, they don't sting one at a time. They climb all over you and then send out a signal and they all sting at once.


Wenshu and ghostexorcist, those are some awesome pics! The stinger on those wasps look like a hypodermic needle. And, the mantises, well they're just amazing!

[SoCo KungFu]

If it makes you feel better, fire ants are being extirpated in some locals, not sure you'll like the alternative though.

http://www.utexas.edu/news/2013/05/16/invasive-crazy-ants-are-displacing-fire-ants-researchers-find/

As for mantises...

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/10/10/3862684.htm

[Syn7]

Those ants like to nest in electronics too. They make such a mess of things from what I hear.

[GoldenBrain]

I haven't heard of the crazy ant yet. I just read up on them and it appears that Amdro kills those too so I'll just keep a healthy supply around. Amdro works wonders on fire ants, well all ants for that matter, but you aren't supposed to get it close to gardens...:( My solution is to go aquaponics so soil isn't in the equation, and I get a bunch of fish to eat as a bonus. Yay! Off subject...I'm building a 60X16 ft walipini (in ground greenhouse) this winter which will take the place of our entire outdoor garden area and be more than enough space to feed our entire family and friends year round. It will be entirely aquaponic. I'll still have a 24X10 above ground greenhouse but that'll be for a few tropical fruit and citrus trees and they'll be in containers so fire or crazy ants and Amdro shouldn't be a concern.

I've seen that orchid mantis before. It's deadly beautiful. I wish we had a few of those around here but there are no orchids so I don't think they'd do very well.

[Syn7]

24x10 is a great space for ganja!

[GoldenBrain]

Hahahaha! That's not going to happen. I live in Texas you know, and I hear they still hang people for that kind of thing.;)

Maybe one day they'll realize that legalizing this stuff will allow people to grow the medicine they need with the added benefit of drying up the cartels that are killing something like 50,000 people a year on the boarder. Besides, I really don't think we need all these parentalistic laws that punish people for doing stuff to themselves. As long as it's not a violent crime, theft or harms others or their property then I say leave it alone.

[GeneChing]

...other than me? :o

:cool:


LOOK: Bite bugs back at this Qingdao snack street offering all kinds of roasted creepy-crawlers (http://shanghaiist.com/2017/02/09/buggy_snack_street.php)
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON FEB 9, 2017 11:00 PM

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/qingdao_bugs2.jpg

Feeling peckish for a midnight snack? Well, hop on the next train to Qingdao and fill your stomach up with as many creepy crawlies as you can keep down.
Photos of the impressively vast variety of insects on serve at one snack street in the city have been some netizens feeling hungry, others less so. But, whether you prefer the refreshing crunchiness of fried scorpions or the delicate flavor of sautéd centipedes, there's really something here for everyone.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/qingdao_bugs10.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/qingdao_bugs11.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/qingdao_bugs4.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/qingdao_bugs.jpg continued next post

[GeneChing]

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/qingdao_bugs3.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/qingdao_bugs5.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/qingdao_bugs6.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/qingdao_bugs7.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/qingdao_bugs8.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/qingdao_bugs9.jpg

Eating insects not extreme enough for you? Well, continue heading northward to Shenyang and try out some of their specialty crocodile kebabs.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/crocodile_kebabs2.jpg

[Images via NetEase]

Never seen centipedes like that before. That one is new to me. The rest I've seen before, and sampled a few.

[-N-]

...other than me? :o

:cool:

continued next post

I'll pass on all those except for the crocodile.

There's a bee that lives inside the hollow part of bamboo.

The salted preserved bees are used in a sore throat medicine. I've had that as a kid. You don't actually eat the bees, though. Just boil and drink the liquid.