Hi kevinkk, Most serious, veteran moth collectors have had, for years now, as routine, a power inverter (12v DC to 120V AC) ranging from 300-1,000 watts & readily available online or at any major hardware store for under $50.00 USD. One used to have to lug around larger, heavier, lead acid, 12V ...

Hello Black Lighters, I recently received (from Ebay.ca) 2 of these very nice, little, foot long 10W 365 nm LED blacklights from China... https://www.ebay.ca/itm/265730831488?var=565516220018 They are much cheaper ($14.85 USD/$20.10 CAD ea.) & are available in both 365 & 395 nm (nanometers)....

Hello Beetle Lovers, I recently received my new 2023 copy of Arthur V. Evans latest beetle book,"The Lives of Beetles - A Natural History of Coleoptera"; hardcover, 288 pgs., 7.75" x 10" x 1". Evans is a well known beetle expert & many will be familiar with his previous ...

There was no longer a listing on ebay.ca when I checked in at around 11:15 pm (my central time) yesterday. Seller must have more than one 2 vol. set available & simply relisted it... still a good deal (with shipping) compared to initial publication/shipping price that I paid.

John K.

When first published, I paid $960.00 CAD (includes shipping) for my 2 volumes.... Now, checking on xe.com - 1 dollar USD = .75 CAD... & 1 dollar USD = .67 AUD! :o :( joachim - say what??... translated to English online "Hello, there is still one available & the price is okay. You can al...

I just came across this on Ebay (Canada)... this may be of interest to some: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/204271572409 I bought my 2 volumes at full price when they were first published... this price (with shipping) - $602.10 AU = $544.07 CAD is a real deal (approx. $408.00 USD). I paid almost double thi...

I have never observed this kind of mud puddling, by hummingbird moth spp., up here in cooler, temperate, central Sask., Canada. Is this a common sight in warmer climates where temperatures can really soar? Amazing how many of them dive briefly right into the water... just to cool off? I see only one...

Hello again,

Here is a much more extensive & fascinating video of Hornet Boy's impressive hymenopteran nest collection:



John K.

Hi 58chevy, "Maybe the guy who described the 9" Titanus was not exaggerating"... this comes from the Rev. J. G. Wood in his all encompassing book "Insects Abroad". This is a really interesting old book with many beautiful B. & W. engravings. I have a nice 1892 copy. In h...

Found this interesting short YouTube (~15 min.) video made by an amateur collector from Thailand who shows & explains to us some of his very nicely mounted, worldwide, Hymenoptera collection. It is quite educational. His solution to retaining the yellow color in wasp abdomens is quite simple... ...

Beautiful Damselflies Calendar Artwork of Christopher Marley of "Exquisite Creatures" fame...




John K.

Thanks so much daveuk & Trehopr1 for your compassion. :) Hopefully I'll be back to near normal by year's end & ready... for next year! I really enjoy finding interesting videos & unusual/rare "bug" photos to share with the like minded crowd here on the Insectnet site. I have to...

Have you got half an hour to spare? Check out this fabulous video. It is in German (I think?!... someone please correct me if I'm wrong..), but the language of "bugs" is universal. Does anyone know this collector & can tell us more. Is he still with us? What is the current status of hi...

Hi Trehopr1, I will try sometime, but not now, as I am still recovering from my left hip joint replacement & am still in considerable pain as I am still awaiting word on when I can get my other right hip done as well! Right now I am still hobbling around with the aid of two walking canes & c...

Many years ago while out collecting dragonflies on a favorite stretch of backroad, (the same road where I also collected those ab. Mourning Cloaks shown in one of the Lepidoptera threads)... I came across a beautiful & unique looking (in flight) spectacle I had never seen before (or have since!)...

Worst Invasive Species in 150 years... the Spotted Lantern Fly... a new (but beautiful!) invasive sp. spreading in the eastern U.S. that may cause billions in damages/losses to agriculture/native trees...



John K.

Just a curious thought... I wonder :?: if momentarily soaking them in acetone (to dispatch them) & then quickly mounting/spreading them (on a wood strip), before they begin to dry out & stiffen, & then resubmerging them in the acetone for a couple of days - weighted down) would help pres...

Hi daveuk, Indeed, very nice historic specimens still in great shape at 87 years old! Well done looking after/preserving them :o Here is another excerpt from the "The Guinness Book of Animal Facts & Feats" (pg.171) regarding the biggest stag beetle specimens from the U.K.. " The l...

Bug Eyed Katydid vs. Candy Cane Katydid... another interesting video showing the deadly predatory habits of 2 spp. of carnivorous katydids viciously attacking one another.... who wins?



John K.

One of the strangest beetles on Earth are the larviform females of the Genus Platerodrilus as described below from Wikipedia. Platerodrilus is a genus of beetles of the family Lycidae. They commonly appear in the literature under the name Duliticola, which is an obsolete junior synonym.[1] The femal...