Last night I was joined by a couple of guys from Yale. Maishe is an artist and a preparator at the Peabody Museum. He creates meticulous and beautiful displays of the collection. He is a perfectionist that is here to collect only the most perfect specimens, especially moths. He is focused on collecting Titan beetles, 16 cm monsters that are maybe the heaviest insects in the world. It turns out that like the white witch, the life cycle of titan beetles is unknown. Probably their larva feed in the rotting hearts of huge trees.
Bill Krinske is a medical entomologist. He is one of those CSI-type scientists that looks at the insects that develop in the bodies of murder victims. He knows how fast those insects, mainly flies, develop, and so he can figure out the date that the victim died. On this trip he’ll be looking for beetles and flies for the Yale Museum.
We saw a pretty black and orange orchid bee. But Maishe hoped to see some showier species, so he painted some eucalyptus oil on a leaf. In 10 minutes he had attracted stout metallic green bees that were crazy for the oil. Here’s what was going on: male orchid bees visit orchids and collect pollen as well as scents from the flower.They use those scents to attract females. I guess eucalyptus oil resembles the orchid scent.
Tonight will be the first big night of light trapping. I’ll also have baits set out for half a mile. Almost all of the insects I see will be ones that I’ve never seen before. Some of them will be species that no one has yet named.
--DLC
Bill Krinske is a medical entomologist. He is one of those CSI-type scientists that looks at the insects that develop in the bodies of murder victims. He knows how fast those insects, mainly flies, develop, and so he can figure out the date that the victim died. On this trip he’ll be looking for beetles and flies for the Yale Museum.
We saw a pretty black and orange orchid bee. But Maishe hoped to see some showier species, so he painted some eucalyptus oil on a leaf. In 10 minutes he had attracted stout metallic green bees that were crazy for the oil. Here’s what was going on: male orchid bees visit orchids and collect pollen as well as scents from the flower.They use those scents to attract females. I guess eucalyptus oil resembles the orchid scent.
Tonight will be the first big night of light trapping. I’ll also have baits set out for half a mile. Almost all of the insects I see will be ones that I’ve never seen before. Some of them will be species that no one has yet named.
--DLC