Any other hobby entomologists here?

[TOMTE]

NOTE: NO NEGATIVE COMMENTS HERE PLEASE! I do NOT appreciate or put up with "kill it with fire!" type comments, nor do I tolerate the spreading of misinformation. I'm happy to educate and to learn, though

I've loved bugs since I was small. I think they are some of the most interesting animals and their lives should be appreciated a lot more than they are.

I haven't had any schooling, so everything I learn about bugs comes from at-home research. I want to meet more hobby entomologists (and I definitely wouldn't say no to having some professional entomologist friends ;D)!

Fellow bug lovers, what are some of your favorites? Which ones do you find the most interesting? Do you keep any bugs as pets or to study?

(Of course when I say "bug" I'm using the term colloquially, not necessarily just the order Hemiptera )

Here are some of my favorites: SPIDERS! Roaches (I keep dubias as feeders for my leopard gecko and as pets), cicadas, katydids, and wasps and hornets!

I'd love to keep a scorpion, a solifugid, a vinegaroon, a centipede, and/or wolf spider someday. Honestly, the ones that most people think are scary are my favorites!

Here, have some pictures I've taken of bugs I've found. And share yours too, if you have any!

EDIT: these bugs are, in order,
1) Pterophylla camellifolia, the common true katydid
2) Diapheromera femorata, the northern walkingstick
3) Eburia sp., a longhorn beetle. Leaning toward quadrigeminata species.
4) Dragonfly ID pending... *scratching my head*
5) Tigrosa helluo, the giant wetlands wolf spider (one of my favorite species!)
6) Pisaurina mira, the nursery web spider. This female was gravid and constructed her eggsac and laid the eggs later that night
7) Gladicosa gulosa, the drumming or purring wolf spider. The male of this species "purrs" to attract a mate by vibrating leaves on the forest floor. Here's a very cool (and adorable) video of this behavior in action!
8) Dolichovespula maculata, the bald-faced hornet, and one of my favorite wasp species. We had a good sized nest in the trees right next to the driveway last summer!
9) Manduca sexta, the carolina sphinx moth. The larval form, the tobacco hornworm, is a common garden pest

 

[The Coop Crew]

I wish I was brave enough to love bugs. I try to not be scared of them but I really have to try lol.
Now my daughter doesn’t love “bugs” necessarily but she loves worms, slugs and Rollie Pollies!

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Your buggies are so cute!
I keep springtails to use in my terrariums but that's it
My cousin keeps reptiles, isopods, and other critters as well and she said that she'll give me an isopod colony, so I'm excited about that. I have loved rollie-pollies all my life and I'm excited to actually own some now

 

[TOMTE]

I wish I was brave enough to love bugs. I try to not be scared of them but I really have to try lol.
Now my daughter doesn’t love “bugs” necessarily but she loves worms, slugs and Rollie Pollies!

I went through a period of severe arachnophobia out of NOWHERE for years. What got me over that (to the point where I can physically handle basically any spider I find now!) was education. Don't fall for clickbait articles, first of all. When you find a bug that you think looks interesting or even scary, try to identify it! Read about it! Look up pictures of bugs on google, really study them. Get to know the terminology, how they're built, the pros and cons of having them around. There's not a single bug in the world that's out to get you, I promise. Even mosquitos and parasites like ticks are just doing what they do, and there are measures you can take to prevent bites. I really think exposure therapy is the best way to combat fear and even phobia of bugs

 

[TOMTE]

Your buggies are so cute!
I keep springtails to use in my terrariums but that's it
My cousin keeps reptiles, isopods, and other critters as well and she said that she'll give me an isopod colony, so I'm excited about that. I have loved rollie-pollies all my life and I'm excited to actually own some now

YAY! I have springtails and peach isopods (Armadillidium nasatum) as cleanup crew in my roach and gecko enclosures. They're so cute and they breed like CRAZY!

 

[talkinboutchickens]

YAY! I have springtails and peach isopods (Armadillidium nasatum) as cleanup crew in my roach and gecko enclosures. They're so cute and they breed like CRAZY!

Wow! I can't tell if my springtail colony is multiplying or not, I just got the colony about a month ago so it's probably too early to see any new springtails maybe. I also have a mite problem with my springtailsyuck.
My cousin has orange crush isopods or something like that, I think she also has Oreo crumble isopods and idk what else.
What substrate do isopods need in their breeding bin?
My favorite isopod types are the more rounder, slower ones rather than the flat faster ones.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Wow! I can't tell if my springtail colony is multiplying or not, I just got the colony about a month ago so it's probably too early to see any new springtails maybe. I also have a mite problem with my springtailsyuck.
My cousin has orange crush isopods or something like that, I think she also has Oreo crumble isopods and idk what else.
What substrate do isopods need in their breeding bin?
My favorite isopod types are the more rounder, slower ones rather than the flat faster ones.

I just did some research, and the type I like are the armadilladium or something like that

 

[TOMTE]

Wow! I can't tell if my springtail colony is multiplying or not, I just got the colony about a month ago so it's probably too early to see any new springtails maybe. I also have a mite problem with my springtailsyuck.
My cousin has orange crush isopods or something like that, I think she also has Oreo crumble isopods and idk what else.
What substrate do isopods need in their breeding bin?
My favorite isopod types are the more rounder, slower ones rather than the flat faster ones.

I used topsoil and coco coir in my roach tank which is where I keep the majority of my springtails and isopods (I just move some into my leo's enclosure as needed). I'd also recommend leaf litter on the top so that the soil keeps in more moisture. But how moist you need to keep it depends on species. Isopods are crustaceans and breathe thru gills. There are some species that live in desert environments and at the other end of the spectrum, some that live at the edges of bodies of water. So your setup will ultimately depend on species

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The pics of your "ents" are beautiful! I just have one request. For those of us who are not conversant with all of them, can you go back and identify each one in common nomenclature please? I think #1 is a katydid? And #2 of course is a stick insect. #4 is a dragonfly, but can you tell us what kind? The next three are spiders, but it would be nice if you would ID them. Are #5 and #7 both tarantulas? Is #6 a wasp, and #7 a hawk moth? You have skill in photography!

If you had a PFM (membership) you could edit your original post to add captions to your pics.

And I should say, Welcome to BYC! Do a search here on "spooders" and you will find like-minded, er... people.

 

[TOMTE]

The pics of your "ents" are beautiful! I just have one request. For those of us who are not conversant with all of them, can you go back and identify each one in common nomenclature please? I think #1 is a katydid? And #2 of course is a stick insect. #4 is a dragonfly, but can you tell us what kind? The next three are spiders, but it would be nice if you would ID them. Are #5 and #7 both tarantulas? Is #6 a wasp, and #7 a hawk moth? You have skill in photography!

If you had a PFM (membership) you could edit your original post to add captions to your pics.

And I should say, Welcome to BYC! Do a search here on "spooders" and you will find like-minded, er... people.

Sure thing! I don't have a membership but I'll edit the og post with the names of the buggies! The spider pics do have the species names as the titles