Gee, if I'd known this was going to develop into a full on entomological thread I would have jumped in sooner.

The giant water bugs, pictured earlier are fantastic to watch - and they can fly! Often - having a black car that looks like a billabong from the air, I have various aquatic insects bounce off it when it is parked. When at Uni (a lot younger and definitely a lot stoopider) for a bet I ate, whilst under the influence of copious amounts of beer I will point out - a 3 inch Americana periplaneta - basically an effing big cockroach. He's already earned me about $90 during the cockroach racing and I think this was the oppositions best way of nobbling my entry. They are filled with custard

And Shadow, when I was last in South Africa - about 1996 - I was asked to try Mapani worms - being the token entomologist on the trip. The worms (actually caterpillars) are harvested during the spring season and dry roasted (dessicated) so they can be used as a protein source throughout the year.

No bloody worries I thought as I grabbed a few and stuffed them in my gob. It took about 20 minutes of enthusastic chewing and 7 litres of saliva production to make the darned things edible. They just wouldn't go down the hatch. You live and learn. Make mine a steak, medium rare!

Cheers, SB

 

Cicada killers are easy to get rid of. Mid morning they are most active. Tennis racket. The little ones are males and are aggressive but have no stinger. Females are enormous but are generally non aggressive. I've killed prolly 1000 of the bastards and never got stung. Supposedly their venom is mild compared to other stingy things ... but postmortems have revealed 1/2" stingers so just the puncture can't feel pleasant.

 

^ Heh, I can easily imagine myself in full riding gear standing in my driveway with one of those electric fly rackets going zuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii- PANG. zuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii- PANG all morning...

 

It is a great morning of fun. And don't need no electronic stuff. Regular tennis racket will inflict much bug damage.

I also take all the casualties and line them up on the driveway as a sign to the others to leave my property ... plus it shows the wife how fuggin manly I am

 

I think we call the "Deathshead moths" and yes, quite often, grey in colour though, but around 4" wingspan (may be a different species, where's Bear when you need him?)

I was asked to try Mopani worms Quote - SB
Best cooked over a biscuit tin lid with a candle underneath, same as flying ants, but the ants taste better - like peanut butter. The worms are like eating tyre puncture plugs
It's been a while since I was that young or that drunk

 

Basically the same species, only a little differently evolved strain propably, 4"=around 10cm. Straight translation from the finnish name "pääkallokiitäjä" would be like skull whizzer or skull speeder or something like that...


A clip of my favourite TV show, Madventures. Riku Rantala (the bandana guy) and Tuomas Milonoff (the hippie with the camera) on their African tour. Sorry, no english subs but he basic line goes like in every place they go they eat some local delicacy like cold chicken feet or boiled monkey brains, and the rock-scissors-paper contest decides the one that eats the stuff -And Tuomas Milonoff, or Tunna is a vegan... Funny stuff, google Madventures MadCook to see the rest.

I once as a kid was on a tourist trip in Gambia with my mom and my sister and have a few quite strange memories of that trip. For instance, our hotel was a hut village instead of a block of flats, and in the night time there were patrols of two men who had a long pole with an electric stunner in the end for the other one and a net for the other to hunt for anything dangerous for the visitors. Both had assault rifles in the back too, I was around 10 at the time so it kinda creeped me out and sure enough branded into my memory. I also remember this tidal river on the beach forming a small island where all the tourists was sunbathing and I was playing in the river with this little boat my mom had bought me when all of the sudden I was completely surrounded by these pink flying fish whizzing past me and hitting me. It lasted for only a couple of seconds but I still remember it very vividly. I also remember the boat that was bright red when I got it but the scorching sun burned it light pink over the two weeks we were there. I have quite a few other memories of that thrip too but they would be even more off topic so I`ll just stop here. If Shadow would like to hear more of them PM me. I was there around like `95.

EDIT: apparently some of the episodes have english subs and the season 3 was spoken in english so propably you all could find some fun watching them.

 

This bit made me laugh you funny bugger.

 

HA HA HA ...yellow or red?

I guess their venom is used to numb and not kill. I didn't feel the sting but the day after my arm started to swell. Three days later my forearm was so swollen I thought it was going to pop.

There is no way anyone would want to cook one up and eat it.

They may make a good X-mas tree ornament.

 

Around here we only have normal bugs.

But watch out! We have slugs big enough to tear a man's arm off!

Deadly Buggers, I'm tellin' ya', but there slooow.

You can see one coming a day away

 

I get them drunk and watch them drown.