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Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Sunflower etc. proj update 4

Attempted to culture Dictyobia, they threw fits for no apparent reason and when I took them out of the rearing sleeve they seemed to calm down at first but then threw an even bigger fit while I was looking the other way and escaped outdoors.

Also grabbed some unidentifiable ant bugs (prob not IDable until mature but context strongly suggests Closterocoris amoenus). All I will say: confining insects in tight bags with resinous leaves is dangerous, the resin gets everywhere and can glue/suffocate them even if they're normally immune to it. One died, the other 3 lost some legs and are recovering. Update: 2 molted and promptly ran away to god knows where because I trusted them to stay put uncaged (I suspect sleeve caves subtly interfere w sap flow and thus feeding). Third has been re-sleeved and didn't make attempt to flee, possibly because it is preparing a molt of its own.

Sometimes I wish I could just quit entomology so I don't have to deal with these sorts of stupid things, but if I don't do the conservation science who will? Just look at Bugguide and bug iNaturalist for LA County, almost no one (except approx. 4 people, including me) photographs anything except butterflies and such because of that stupid shit about only butterflies and such being socially acceptable. Oh god I hate everything.

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