InsectNet forum

jhyatt · by jhyatt » Sat Sep 30, 2023 1:17 pm

Chuck,

Been there, done that. Many years ago a group of 4 or 5 of us spent a long week collecting all over SE AZ during that period. Two drove out in a van with the generator, light traps, batteries, bait, etc; the rest of us flew to Phoenix and rented cars. We stayed in motels some, and rented a cabin for a couple of nights. It was a great trip, collecting was fine (butterflies as well as moths), and heat was just not a problem. Go for it!

That said, some of the best collecting was on the army's Fort Huachuca property, and I'm not sure that one can get permission to collect there post-9/11. Pena Blanca was very good (only time I ever saw a 3-gallon bucket trap filled nearly to the top with moths), but there were many other great spots.

jh

WiseCat · by WiseCat » Sat Sep 30, 2023 9:55 am

Thanks Adam I get your points. It’s reinsuring. I can’t see eight legs on my photo and on other photos / videos I took. How come?

And do you know what tick has this color and body shape? I have googled photos of ticks and can’t find one that looks similar.

Thanks!

adamcotton · by adamcotton » Sat Sep 30, 2023 9:10 am

A bed bug has 3 pairs of legs, whereas a tick has 4 pairs. Also bed bugs are more rounded in shape and have a distinctly segmented abdomen. Try a Google search on 'bed bugs' and you can see what they look like.

Adam.

WiseCat · by WiseCat » Sat Sep 30, 2023 6:50 am

OK thanks! How can we be sure it is not a bed bug?

livingplanet3 · by livingplanet3 » Sat Sep 30, 2023 3:39 am

WiseCat wrote: ↑Sat Sep 30, 2023 2:53 am Insect found on my bed. Size is slightly more than 1 mm (c. 1.3 mm)...

It certainly appears to be a tick -

https://bugguide.net/node/view/91218

WiseCat · by WiseCat » Sat Sep 30, 2023 2:53 am

Insect found on my bed. Size is slightly more than 1 mm (c. 1.3 mm).

Annarobertson1947 · by Annarobertson1947 » Sat Sep 30, 2023 12:56 am

Thanks Adam.
Yes an abdomen, all my Iphimedeia specimens are well endowed with abdomens.
I posted a reference to the reclassified theseus grp on books and publications section

MikeH · by MikeH » Sat Sep 30, 2023 12:32 am

I'd be game for something, might be wiser to vrbo or something with ac and a freezer instead of an rv.

Chuck · by Chuck » Fri Sep 29, 2023 7:22 pm

Every year, usually in late August, I tell myself I'll make it to Pena Blanca AZ for the monsoons "next year."

This has been going on for years.

Wish there was a way to make it happen. To plan early, block out the time, and GO.

It would probably help if we had a whole crew- rent a motorhome, rent a few generators, and meet in Tucson.

What's the chance of a bunch of us meeting up there in 2024?

jhyatt · by jhyatt » Fri Sep 29, 2023 5:38 pm

I just went to the central PO in town and mailed my parcel for less than half what the original local PO clerk told me was the cheapest way. I reboxed it in a larger (9X6X6) box, which more than doubled the weight, but it avoided a small-box surcharge and some risk of loss. The clerk I used today admitted that the "First Class International Package" category was not advertised on the P.O. boards showing various classes; he said they seemed to want to keep it hidden. He also said that the clerk I originally saw needs to come in for some training!

Pirateship.com would have saved me about $1.50, BTW.

Thanks,
jh

Chuck · by Chuck » Fri Sep 29, 2023 4:31 pm

Your best bet these days with USPS (and, UPS) is to use their standardized boxes, like USPS Priority Flat Rate Small. They are trackable, and they are outfitted to automatically handle their own boxes.

Anything smaller than a Flat Rate Small is likely to be lost or destroyed. I would not go smaller. Next level down would be the bubble wrap packages.

The whole point is not cost, it's the high loss rate of non-standard packages these days, particularly small packages.

AND! Insure it. USPS Flat Rate comes with either $50 or $100 insurance, which somehow means less losses too. If you elect to ship any other packaging, put at least $100 insurance on it.

ALSO (yes, there's more!) PirateShip.com allows you to check a few boxes for customs instead of (at the PO) filling out those stupid forms. In my experience, if the customs info is embedded in the label via PirateShip it's far less likely to get stuck in Customs.

Not what you want to hear, but welcome to the NWO.

jhyatt · by jhyatt » Fri Sep 29, 2023 2:12 pm

Many thanks, Kevin and Chuck! I'm apparently dealing with a less-than-knowledgable clerk. USPS website says there's a "First Class International Package" class for small light parcels; service to my target country runs about $15-19. And yes, my package is too small to fit the designated limits, per their website. I'll have to re-box and take it to a larger post office with at least one good clerk. And I'll look into using Pirateship.com.
jh

Chuck · by Chuck » Fri Sep 29, 2023 12:03 pm

Going back to the MV 16 meters above ground, Vernon what did you catch that wasn't caught at ground level? In other words, did it make a difference?

Chuck · by Chuck » Fri Sep 29, 2023 12:01 pm

1. Yes, prices have increased, some markedly.

2. USPS and UPS (at least) add surcharges for small boxes now. That makes sense, they are tough to handle. USPS minimum reasonable size (ie. price break) is about 6" x 6".

3. Despite the changes, tracking has improved markedly, and to me it's worth it.

4. You can use padded envelopes and stuff harder packaging inside to save $$. A plastic DVD shell can fit a number of specimens and slide into a padded envelope.

5. Great way to save money is use Pirateship.com. Ship via USPS and UPS at reduced rates, and they will pick up. It's stupid simple, the interface is simple and easy, and you can do custom forms right there.

adamcotton · by adamcotton » Fri Sep 29, 2023 10:04 am

Wow, a Morpho with an abdomen!

You are lucky, I really don't like all those photos of specimens with no abdomens.

Hopefully you can brush the mould off with a soft very small paintbrush.

I think ethyl acetate or 70% ethanol would be a better wash than benzene. Apart from the danger associated with that chemical it may dissolve body fats and spread them over the area that gets wet, especially as Morpho are susceptible to greasing.

If the only external evidence is powdery spores, probably rather than washing the specimen(s) a better treatment would be just to really thoroughly dry them out.

Adam.

Annarobertson1947 · by Annarobertson1947 » Fri Sep 29, 2023 7:00 am

See attached frontis piece

Annarobertson1947 · by Annarobertson1947 » Fri Sep 29, 2023 2:20 am

Mould powder on abdomen of a Morpho malintzin female just arrived from overseas, body needs degreasing powder brushes off was going to paint benzine on affected parts, am unsure if its ok

kevinkk · by kevinkk » Fri Sep 29, 2023 12:48 am

I think you are the victim of an inept employee or a liar. Parcels do not have to be sent Priority mail,
Not long ago, Mom wanted to "help" me mail a box, I had the postage figured after weighing it,
5 bucks for ground select USPS, the clerk sold my Mom priority shipping and it cost me an extra 7 bucks, I know one of
the clerks at my post office, and I know exactly what's up at the post office when it comes to cost. Mom fell for the cow flop
line and she'll never mail another box for me again.
Now, shipping a tiny box overseas is not easy, you need room for the paperwork, I'd say that at least from our end in the USA, 3x4x3 is too small,
and, if you can get it or a box close in size, it should only cost under 25 bucks to go to the EU, I send items to a contact every season, that's
25 bucks unless you're mailing rocks:)

I just looked at the USPS website, first class international is right there at the bottom. My last shipment to England UK in probably February or
March of this year was a cigar shape box, 8 ounces, cost me about 25 bucks.

jhyatt · by jhyatt » Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:52 pm

Has anyone discovered a way to ship small (say 3X4X3 inches), light (say 2-3 oz) parcels overseas without incurring the absurd cost of using the US Postal Service? A box of this description to a western European country now cost US$ 58 to ship, I was just told by the P.O. clerk. As recently as a year or so ago, this could go via 1st class mail for about $10-15 -- but the post office now will only send letters via 1st class mail. All parcels must go via "Priority Mail" or some even costlier category, he said.

I have to guess that commercial couriers (DHL, UPS, FedEx etc) are even more expensive. I must admit that I'm a bit in shock, not having sent any bugs overseas in a couple or three years. Trading isn't worth the cost of shipping any more, I fear.

JH

eurytides · by eurytides » Thu Sep 28, 2023 12:50 pm

Yes Adam, he does mention on his website “Postdoctoral fellow, Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Degli Studi di Padova, Italy.” My previous post was just to show that he is no longer working at the CNC in Ottawa.

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