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Post by lepidofrance on May 22, 2014 13:10:27 GMT -8
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w1
Full Member
Have had a great start to my season
Posts: 123
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Post by w1 on May 22, 2014 17:02:13 GMT -8
Well I'm young and not planning on quitting. My son comes out with me. There are some great young guys in the business let's hope for the best. Tiger beetles and Asilids are my passion.
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Post by ash on May 22, 2014 17:33:55 GMT -8
What about the problem " the collecting itself " ? Every year more and more restrictions, in a lot of European countries it's already forbidden to collect , more will follow in the future... so that will be the main concern for collectors in the future I guess... David Hello, Regarding collecting itself- I think that if there are concerns about the reasonability of legalities of collecting one must do either of two things: 1. If restrictions are in place for very good reasons we should respect, obey and promote them. Biodiversity should be conserved. 2. If restrictions that are in place are unreasonable and are not evidence based then we should collect and publish evidence to show this. Then we should promote changes to regulations to match them. I have frequently read, for almost twenty years, that people disagree with Ornithoptera alexandrae being listed on CITES 1 and not on CITES 2. If you want these regulations changed, collect evidence, publish it and make a case for change. Band together and fund a research project (imagine how much money would be raised if we all donated $250?) to get locals in PNG to investigate whether they can ranch or farm O. alexandrae sustainably.If it turns out that it cannot be ranched sustainably - accept that - and put resources and effort into conservation of its habitat. If it turns out that breeding for butterfly houses and specimen trade is sustainable and can safeguard the insect and provide income to locals - then push for changes to regulations that enable this. An opinion based argument rather than evidence based argument cannot be expected to get anywhere. Something to think about. Ash
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Post by monasteria on May 22, 2014 23:11:48 GMT -8
The real issue with alexandrae is not the Cites listing, its the palm oil production and the corrupt governments who care about their bank account instead of the natural heritage of their country. Even if it were possible to farm that butterfly, it wouldn't be as profitable for the guys who make the decisions there as palm oil…so sad.
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Post by nomad on May 23, 2014 4:20:53 GMT -8
Getting back to the situation about butterfly collecting in European counties. It seems to be far more easy to weld a net in France than the U.K. It is for sure a bigger country with a bigger range of wilderness. However as Jean-Marc has shown recently by his videos, there is ongoing conservation projects for the scarcer butterflies that occur in France. So it stands to reason there must be certain sites where a person with a net would be unwelcome in France. What is the attitude to collecting in the other European counties such as Germany, Holland or Italy etc etc. I believe in far more easy to collect butterflies in the Eastern European counties. Perhaps the conservation movement is well behind that of say the U.K. Are we heading for a total Ban on Butterfly collecting in Western Europe?.
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Post by nomad on May 23, 2014 5:10:25 GMT -8
I would like to add that it is a enlightened approach that the Lepidopterists of France society promote the collecting of its butterfly Fauna. Although I am sure there are guild lines concerning the rarer species. You would never get that in the U.K, where a obsessive conservation culture would never promote this. Britain has the rather elitist Royal Society of Entomology, but its best society is the Amateur Entomologist's Society who promote the study of insects in Britain, leaning towards the lesser known insect groups. I believe they just about condone moth collecting ( but not the rarer species ). This is a very good society with many experts in their field producing a very good series of handbooks. Amateur does not mean a lesser society, it just means that you not do Entomology to make your living. Breeding butterflies and moths of many counties for study and collections seems to have become quite big in the U.K.
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Post by lordpandarus on May 28, 2014 11:15:29 GMT -8
Well ,lately I haven;t been able to win anything on ebay because the bidding goes to high even for "common" species, not a sign that the hobby is dying I also notice Japanese sellers buying into Western market to re-sell in Japanese sites. I "lost" a lot of specimens to this guy over the years. I know because the specimens turn up on his site a few weeks later (I know it's fair game, but nothing irritates me more than losing a specimen to someone who just wants to re-sell it) www.ksl-auction.com/search.cgi?acc=sell_list&sid=1346208213&id=protinsect&image=&sort=new
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Post by wingedwishes on May 29, 2014 14:05:33 GMT -8
Good point. Acherontia lachesis have risen in price and even Actias luna are more costly. Neither are rare.
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antsrule
Junior Member
Winter is killing me.
Posts: 38
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Post by antsrule on Jan 20, 2018 20:09:29 GMT -8
Well its been four years since this thread fell asleep, any new thoughts? Has it grown? has it shrunk? I'm 16 and in 10th grade and id be blown away if ANY of the kids at my school are into this hobby. Especially them collecting butterflies and beetles from the field. IPhones X-boxes etc are way too additive to them. I guess as long as I'm here it hasn't died with the new generations.
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Post by joee30 on Jan 21, 2018 1:12:39 GMT -8
With the younger kids it seems to have lowered a tad bit. In the age of Ipads, laptops, xboxes, and cell phones, who needs to play outside or look for nasty bugs? lol I am 37, have a bum knee, and still go out and look for bugs. With this said, there are always some who would get interested in this. I have a 21 year old co worker who is very interested in raising luna moths this coming season. I am going to grandfather her into moth rearing if she does good. I also have an ex-managers older kid who is 5 now, and she is very supportive of his love of the creepy crawlies. I told her I would take him collecting when he is 9-10.
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Post by bobw on Jan 21, 2018 4:40:46 GMT -8
I am 37, have a bum knee, and still go out and look for bugs. Unfortunately, in bug collecting terms, at 37 you are a youngster!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2018 6:41:38 GMT -8
Yes 37 is a mere youngster to some of us.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jan 21, 2018 7:28:57 GMT -8
Yes 37 is a mere youngster to some of us. I wish I was 37 again Adam. PS. My avatar photo was taken quite a few years ago now.
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rjb
Full Member
Posts: 187
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Post by rjb on Jan 21, 2018 10:17:16 GMT -8
Oh to be 40 again ... or even 60.
Rick
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Post by joee30 on Jan 21, 2018 11:51:23 GMT -8
True. I might be a youngster. Aside from the knee issues, I can do anything else pretty good. Last summer, I perfected the flycatcher method. Lol Me and a friend camped out at the East Side of Steens Mountain in Oregon along a small stream. There were plenty of cruising P.multicaudata pusillus, P. rutulus, and an occasional P. eurymedon(which I missed a couple). It got so hot, that I stayed in the shade and sat in a camp chair while my friend was looking for cicadas. Every time a swallowtail came in, I'd swing and net it. If it was too beaten up, it'd go free. I caught some nice specimens and let the rest go.
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