ITT we chit chat about insects/arachnids/pets with 6 legs or more

[cheerfulgreek]

I think I would have a field day in a tropical rain forest. There's gotta be a ton of invertebrates there that no one has even seen.

[IrishLake]

I know right?!?! I'd love to discover a new species of insect! There are some pseudoscorpions I'm familiar with from doing some soil surveys. Talk about boring work, but cool if I found something.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

I know right?!?! I'd love to discover a new species of insect! There are some pseudoscorpions I'm familiar with from doing some soil surveys. Talk about boring work, but cool if I found something.

There's probably about 1500 species of scorpions. It's easy to distinguish the difference between a lot of them just by looking at the size and shape of the palps. I love my spider, but I find my scorpion more interesting even though he just sits there. He doesn't go after his prey, he waits for it to come to him, so he's somewhat boring to watch. However, what I like about them (much better than spiders) is that they're viviparous. That's very uncommon among arachnids. If no one has ever seen them eat, it's funny. It's kind of like watching a person eat with their hands. It's really cute, actually.

[IrishLake]

It was October when I found the horntail, and she was on a log, crawling in and out of the bark, looking for a place to hibernate I'm guessing, or maybe to lay eggs. I used my finger to knock her into a jar. Easy peasy. So many hymenoptera are greatly misunderstood. They don't all sting. Same thing with cicada killer wasps. They are HUGE and scary looking and sounding, but don't bother or harm humans. Heck, I've handled a bumblebee once (cue "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee"), and it didn't sting me. I was a server at Applebee's, and a lady who sat at my table had a large "true" bumble in the hood of her coat. I calmly scooped it into my hand, and carried him outside.

Yellow jackets on the otherhand, I kill on site.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

It was October when I found the horntail, and she was on a log, crawling in and out of the bark, looking for a place to hibernate I'm guessing, or maybe to lay eggs. I used my finger to knock her into a jar. Easy peasy. So many hymenoptera are greatly misunderstood. They don't all sting. Same thing with cicada killer wasps. They are HUGE and scary looking and sounding, but don't bother or harm humans. Heck, I've handled a bumblebee once (cue "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee"), and it didn't sting me. I was a server at Applebee's, and a lady who sat at my table had a large "true" bumble in the hood of her coat. I calmly scooped it into my hand, and carried him outside.

Yellow jackets on the otherhand, I kill on site.

Oh yeah, cicada wasp are pretty big. I thought they were stingers, too. I don't know why I can handle a tarantula and a scorpion without getting stung/bitten, but a bumble bee or wasp, I would be too afraid of getting stung.

Why? what's up with the yellow jackets? lol They're really annoying at times.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Oh yeah, cicada wasp are pretty big. I thought they were stingers, too. I don't know why I can handle a tarantula and a scorpion without getting stung/bitten, but a bumble bee or wasp, I would be too afraid of getting stung.

Why? what's up with the yellow jackets? lol They're really annoying at times.

What's up with yellow jackets? They're THE WORST. They're aggressive and can go from one to 543584389 quickly. I'm more nervous around those than around wasps.

[IrishLake]

They're just a horribly aggressive species of wasp. The worst thing is that they can sting multiple times, without dying. If a bee stings you, it stings once and then it dies. Most wasps don't lose their stinger. Yellow jackets are just horrible. In the textbook, they're ground nesters, so if you go over one with your mower, you're done. But really, I've seen them nest anywhere. It's like if you even look at them funny, you get attacked.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by Alumiyum

What's up with yellow jackets? They're THE WORST. They're aggressive and can go from one to 543584389 quickly. I'm more nervous around those than around wasps.

Yeah, they are pretty aggressive. Hornets have always creeped me out too. Have you guys ever heard of the Giant Japanese Wasp? They're huge and really, really aggressive. I've seen them take over a bee hive within minutes on the Discovery Channel. They're amazing.

Originally Posted by IrishLake

It's like if you even look at them funny, you get attacked.

lol

Has anyone ever heard of Jewel Wasps? They're really pretty. They're really cool because they have this like really hard body shell that protects them from stings from other bees and wasp, and they're like a really pretty metallic blue or green.

I think ants are the worst. They're also the most interesting, but there are some species in some rainforests that can take out anything. Oh, and bullet ants have the worst sting.

I remember when I was in undergrad, I went to Kansas State for a summmer vet program and I saw a Ichneumon wasp. Very weird. From what I've read about them, they're really good at getting rid of a lot of insects we call pests.



What about prehistoric bugs? Does anyone get into those? That's another passion of mine are prehistoric bugs.

[PrettyBoy]

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Yeah, they are pretty aggressive. Hornets have always creeped me out too. Have you guys ever heard of the Giant Japanese Wasp? They're huge and really, really aggressive. I've seen them take over a bee hive within minutes on the Discovery Channel. They're amazing.



lol

Has anyone ever heard of Jewel Wasps? They're really pretty. They're really cool because they have this like really hard body shell that protects them from stings from other bees and wasp, and they're like a really pretty metallic blue or green.

I think ants are the worst. They're also the most interesting, but there are some species in some rainforests that can take out anything. Oh, and bullet ants have the worst sting.

I remember when I was in undergrad, I went to Kansas State for a summmer vet program and I saw a Ichneumon wasp. Very weird. From what I've read about them, they're really good at getting rid of a lot of insects we call pests.



What about prehistoric bugs? Does anyone get into those? That's another passion of mine are prehistoric bugs.

MY EYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! I can never unsee the horrors you just unleashed upon me. *Going to the corner to curl up in the fetal position*

[PeppyGPhiB]

@PrettyBoy, my thoughts exactly.

[cheerfulgreek]

^^^Were they up to their legs in "bad credit"? Spam.