Presentation

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RandomBirder
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Re: Presentation

Post by RandomBirder »

Hello, I am mostly a birder and classical violinist, but recently I've been interested in learning more about insects. I want to broaden my knowledge of the natural world from just birds to insects as well. I'm pretty much a total beginner, so I'll need a lot of identification help!
bethanyfarah
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Re: Presentation

Post by bethanyfarah »

Hi all!

My name is Bethany and I'm an amateur entomologist living in Southeastern Arizona (near Cochise Stronghold if anyone is familiar with the area.) I am interested in all things invertebrate but especially insects!!! I have a particular fondess for beetles and wasps but honestly if it has legs and an exoskeleton I'm excited.

I don't personally kill insects and my collection is almost wholly made up of insects I found dead over the years. No judgement on those that do decide to kill for their collections; I just really like insects and don't like watching them die.

I have my B.S. in organism biology from the university of Arizona and I plan to get my PhD in entomology as soon as I figure out what I might like to specialize in.
Chuck
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Re: Presentation

Post by Chuck »

Hi Bethany, welcome.

As far as specializing, I hate to say it but the jobs are in agriculture, particularly pests and their parasites. The days of paid Lep research are 100 years in the past. Some very few entos are fortunate enough to land Lep jobs and even most of those are in curation, genetics, or low-paying butterfly zoos.

Our son went through the Econ program at the local uni, and even before he started the program leadership told all the new entrants that if they wanted a job in Econ they WERE leaving the state. Not sure how Az is, but FL is hot for Econ grads.
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adamcotton
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Re: Presentation

Post by adamcotton »

Chuck wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 11:56 am Our son went through the Econ program at the local uni
Sorry, but what is "Econ"?

I assume your son went to a university in NY State, Bethany (big welcome from me too) may not know that you are there.

Adam.
bethanyfarah
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Re: Presentation

Post by bethanyfarah »

Chuck wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 11:56 am As far as specializing, I hate to say it but the jobs are in agriculture, particularly pests and their parasites. The days of paid Lep research are 100 years in the past. Some very few entos are fortunate enough to land Lep jobs and even most of those are in curation, genetics, or low-paying butterfly zoos.
Thanks for the big welcome!

Chuck: I was actually thinking agriculture would be a good field for me because 1. I'm the breadwinner for my household so even if I wanted to take an awesome job for a low rate like a butterfly house I couldn't afford it 2. It seems like a job with a decent mix of field and lab work 3. With an exploding human population we have to find a way to feed more people on the land we already farm if we have any hope of seriously conserving wild lands. 4. (And this is most important) I think insect parasites are so dang cool and studying them would rock my world!

I've only very recently started really appreciating leps to be honest. I guess I've always thought of them as too approachable; everyone loves butterflies, even people who run screaming from every other insect. Also they're delicate and spreading them feels like a chore. But then I started noticing their larva and I'm getting sucked in. Also plume moths (Pterophroidea) have been catching my eye at the porch lights lately.

Florida is supposed to have some good grad schools for entomology and it is one of the few states my husband has agreed to move to because then he could fish and get a boat. We'll see what the future holds.

Bethany
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Re: Presentation

Post by Cassidinae »

bethanyfarah wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 12:56 am 3. With an exploding human population we have to find a way to feed more people on the land we already farm if we have any hope of seriously conserving wild lands.
Sorry, but that's a fallacy. The only way to save valuable habitats on Earth is to reduce human populations! It is not primarily about food, but about space and human greed.
Chuck
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Re: Presentation

Post by Chuck »

Cassidinae wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:19 pm
bethanyfarah wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 12:56 am 3. With an exploding human population we have to find a way to feed more people on the land we already farm if we have any hope of seriously conserving wild lands.
Sorry, but that's a fallacy. The only way to save valuable habitats on Earth is to reduce human populations! It is not primarily about food, but about space and human greed.

The topic is introductions. Wanna argue about stuff take it elsewhere.
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Juniper
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Re: Presentation

Post by Juniper »

Hello! I'm Juniper, and I'm currently on my 2nd year of undergrad going for my bio major. I've always wanted to be an entomologist since I was little, and hopefully I'll be able to get into a PhD program! I'm excited because this is the first year I'll be able to do undergraduate research, and maybe even design my own project with the school.

I'm only 19 for now so I don't have a super focused area of study right now, but I'm working on memorizing my field guide and getting my taxonomy down. Nobody in my family has a PhD/is involved in research or academia and my school doesn't actually have an entomologist on staff so any career advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Any personal insight into real life field research and the kind of stuff you do on the job would be awesome :)

Career-wise, I think it would be super cool to look at disease vectors or agricultural pests. I want to make a difference in the world and reduce human suffering, and I believe that includes research into better food production techniques and mosquito control.

My favorite insect group is Blattodea, by the way. I live in a college dorm and see more than enough cockroaches hanging out in the hallways and near the building outside. Most people here hate them but I find them cute haha
Chuck
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Re: Presentation

Post by Chuck »

Welcome aboard Juniper, stick around and you can learn a lot, ask questions. We have professionals in entomology here, perhaps they'll discuss the field, or you'll find answers as you go. We've discussed some of the aspects of the field, so you can search older threads.
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Re: Presentation

Post by erotavlas »

Greetings. I'm from Ontario Canada and I like to raise several Monarchs and Swallowtail every summer. It's interesting to observe and photograph them changing through their life stages.
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Paul K
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Re: Presentation

Post by Paul K »

erotavlas wrote: Tue Oct 04, 2022 1:33 pm Greetings. I'm from Ontario Canada and I like to raise several Monarchs and Swallowtail every summer. It's interesting to observe and photograph them changing through their life stages.
Keep in mind that Danaus plexippus and all Papilio species are protected in Ontario. So even if you don’t keep them as specimen you should not announce it.
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Re: Presentation

Post by Dandywhip13 »

I’m not sure if I’m doing this correctly.
Hello everyone my name is Branden I just got into the hobby recently and have fallen in love with isopods, millipedes and scorpions, invertebrates, etc. I’m from California Los Angeles county.
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kevinkk
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Re: Presentation

Post by kevinkk »

Dandywhip13 wrote: Fri Dec 23, 2022 2:08 am I’m not sure if I’m doing this correctly.
Hello everyone my name is Branden I just got into the hobby recently and have fallen in love with isopods, millipedes and scorpions, invertebrates, etc. I’m from California Los Angeles county.
You appear to doing the Insectnet thing correctly. It's a big mix of different interests, skill levels and covers the planet. If there isn't someone here
that doesn't know it- You may have a problem. :roll:
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Re: Presentation

Post by mantisfan »

hi ! i'm vee, i'm just getting into insect husbandry. while i do not currently have any insects, my plans within the next couple of months are to get Hierodula patellifera, Sheffordella lateralis, and Narceus americanus. i also have a couple of longer term plans, but nothing set in stone !
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Re: Presentation

Post by Neon765 »

Hello, my name is Adrian, I'm from Lima, Perú.

I'm just an enthomology enthusiast, for the moment I breed madagascar hissing cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa). Looking forward to learning more here and eventually get more involved in arthropod care. I'm also very interested in Archispirostreptus gigas and Isopoda.

Thanks for having me, I hope I can learn a lot from you all!
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Bonkewitzz
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Re: Presentation

Post by Bonkewitzz »

My name is Americo N. Bonkewitzz. I am originally from Argentina but have been living in South Africa for the past 33 years. I reside in the beautiful garden of KwaZulu-Natal. Professionally, I am a biologist and zoologist, and throughout my life, I have held a deep interest in the use of butterflies.

From 1998 to 2006, I developed a technique to create high-resolution images of birds using small fragments of butterfly wings. This approach served as a means to repurpose the amount of discarded material generated by collectors and butterfly houses, among others. Consequently, I gradually transitioned into becoming a butterfly artist. After 2007, I took a break from butterfly art, but recently, after 16 years! I made the decision to rekindle my passion and resume this creative practice.

I have been a member of Insectnet since the days of Clark, during which I supplied various African species. Now, I would like to participate in Insectnet by showcasing my upcoming butterfly art pieces.

Americo
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daveuk
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Re: Presentation

Post by daveuk »

Bonkewitzz wrote: Sat May 06, 2023 8:14 pm My name is Americo N. Bonkewitzz. I am originally from Argentina but have been living in South Africa for the past 33 years. I reside in the beautiful garden of KwaZulu-Natal. Professionally, I am a biologist and zoologist, and throughout my life, I have held a deep interest in the use of butterflies.

From 1998 to 2006, I developed a technique to create high-resolution images of birds using small fragments of butterfly wings. This approach served as a means to repurpose the amount of discarded material generated by collectors and butterfly houses, among others. Consequently, I gradually transitioned into becoming a butterfly artist. After 2007, I took a break from butterfly art, but recently, after 16 years! I made the decision to rekindle my passion and resume this creative practice.

I have been a member of Insectnet since the days of Clark, during which I supplied various African species. Now, I would like to participate in Insectnet by showcasing my upcoming butterfly art pieces.

Americo
Hello Americo.
Welcome back to the forum. Had many beautiful specimens from you over the years including these:
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Artem
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Re: Presentation

Post by Artem »

Hi Everyone, my name is Artem and I'm based in Melbourne.

I run a small side-business selling framed specimens and papered stock in New Zealand and Australia. I'm fairly new to this hobby and keen to learn as much as I can.

I'm hoping to visit the Juvisy fair this September and meet some of you.
And if anyone is interested in visiting Melbourne, please feel free to say hello and we can meet :)
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Re: Presentation

Post by cursedkarma »

Hello, I'm Carmen from Edmonton, Alberta. I'm a Saturniidae fan that casually collected lep specimens during college. I recently encountered some wild A.polyphemus inside the city, and it reignited my love for these animals. I'd really like to raise and observe my own caterpillars of native silkmoths especially H.cecropia, but finding any active Canadian sellers has been nearly impossible. If anyone has any advice I would sincerely appreciate it! I look forward to talking with you all :)
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grmanners
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Re: Presentation

Post by grmanners »

Greetings from Cambridgeshire, UK!

Sorry I missed this when I signed up a few days ago.

My main interest in joining is to obtain and/or firm-up some IDs of insects photographed on a recent trip to Richmond Hill ON, Canada. I also use iNaturalist, BugGuide.net and (for UK stuff) iSpot (Open University).

Principal target groups for me are butterflies (I am on the local committee for Butterfly Conservation), dragonflies (s.l.), Orthoptera, ladybirds/bugs, moths and some Hymenoptera, and whatever else "catches my eye".

I shall endeavour to upload a butterfly image (probably Melanis electron from Cali, Colombia) as my avatar.
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