beetleexperience Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Hello all. Here is a bit of info about myself that I wrote up a while back: Occupation: software support tech. I became interested in beetles (2000, Austin, TX) and haven't looked back since. I have been collecting and breeding beetles for about six years, usually keeping within the confines of the Scarabaeoidea superfamily. Current interests: 1. Scarabaeinae (Dung Beetles): I am currently attempting to breed Dichotomius carolinus and Deltochilum gibbosum in captivity 2. Phasmids (although, I haven't strayed far from large beetles and large millipedes until very recently). Favorite family: Lucanidae Favorite Genus: Lucanus, although Dorcus is a close second. Sites: www.Beetle-Experience.com www.BeetleGoods.com www.LouisianaBugs.com Other info: Have a photo of a female Lucanus capreolus in the recently released Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America : 2007 Worked part time as a Freelance Insect Pinner at the Insect Rearing Facility of the Audubon Insectarium: 2006 Was asked to speak about beetles at St. Bernard School's Science Symposium in 2005 Participated in several presentations on insects at the Zoo of Acadiana in 2004 Created www.Beetle-Experience.com in 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Clausen Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Hi Steven, I didn't know you were becoming a phasmid guy. Hey, I'm dying to know how Bugstock 2007 was??? Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beetleexperience Posted August 2, 2007 Author Share Posted August 2, 2007 Hey Peter, How are things going? We had a blast! We had about 25 or so people and 5 blacklight rigs. Encountered tons of stuff that hadn't been found on the property before, including Trigonopeltastes delta and Deltochilum gibbosum, both which I had been looking for. I recently posted pics on the site. We are working on holding another one in Sept. and it sounds like this one will be a "light-rig throw-down" with people trying to out-do each other's light rigs. Should be fun... Steven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Clausen Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Hey Peter, How are things going? We had a blast! We had about 25 or so people and 5 blacklight rigs. Encountered tons of stuff that hadn't been found on the property before, including Trigonopeltastes delta and Deltochilum gibbosum, both which I had been looking for. I recently posted pics on the site. We are working on holding another one in Sept. and it sounds like this one will be a "light-rig throw-down" with people trying to out-do each other's light rigs. Should be fun... Steven That's really awesome. I WISH we all lived in some small country like Belgium where we could just drive for a few hours and arrive in the same place. The US isn't the neatest country for bugs, but we have more bugs than any one lifetime's experience could begin to appreciate. The work you do is really great and your work is your play and that's why you're so great at it! I just went out to my garage to take a few photos for you. My dad built this for me before we went down to Arizona one year. It hasn't seen a lot of action the last 5 years or so. We call my dad Captain Contraption for good reason! The only thing missing from the photo are the eight and ten foot sections of PVC piping and elbow joints that we use for sheet stands and the power inverter. They all fit nicely inside other larger PVC pipes with caps on the ends, all of which gets mounted on top of the buggin' wagon (huge van). Of course we have to take a huge van because of the 10 coolers we have inside for keeping bugs alive. My sister never wanted her 162 quart igloo marine cooler back after that. I could hardly smell the granti musk in it, but... So, after we set up the stands for the sheets, we use the black and yellow vice clamps to hold the sheet to the stands. The deep cell battery that we use to power the lights is made for race cars or solar applications or aircraft or something (can't remember). It powers both Mercury Vapor and blacklights, simultaneously. The van was usually not too far if we needed a second power source. With two people we can set it up in about 15 minutes (even ten if the sun is setting already). We would move to a few different locations throughout the night because it was so portable. The dolly has wheels so we could get up the trails with it without too much trouble. Somebody gave us a tip once about quickly killing specimens. A milliliter of windex, via syringe, will kill just about any bug immediately. Ask your nearest diabetic for a disposable new syringe. Glassine envelopes if you want them dead, deli cups if alive! A quick evening rain and a new moon and you're ready to go! Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beetleexperience Posted August 2, 2007 Author Share Posted August 2, 2007 Peter, Holy Capreolus, that's a sweet rig! Thanks for sharing those pics. You need to dust that thing of and get it out in the field..! Steven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allpet Roaches Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Maybe if you hang out on the roach board long enough you'll come to find a new passion. They look a lot like beetles, especially all the beetle mimics like the dominos and Diploptera. Did you know the Diploptera even have the same defensive secretion of the darklings they mimic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gsc Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 Welcome...I've tried bettles a few times and failed misserably...I've been thinking of giving them another chance... I love my roaches though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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