your potato bugs are scary moondragon. I like the little rolypoly potato bugs better 
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I like the roly- poly potato bugs better too!!! And we do have those out here too, and they are much more common than the big one.
We used to see how many we could find........we would let them go eventually.
When my sister and I were little, we liked to make them roll up.
Me, too, mojo! Okay, ladies, I'm gonna be a smarty, but I'm kinda into bugs since I'm organic and hafta know "good" vs "bad" bugs. The little hardshell bugs that roll up are pillbugs, rolly pollies -- sowbug is the correct name. They're good and bad both, cause they help with the breakdown or organic matter, but will also attack plants. Potato bugs are the Colorado Potato Beetle and look similar to ladybugs, just larger and striped instead of spotted -- VERY destructive to crops. Doodle Bugs (aka Antlions) are cute little things that make a small sand pit (1" to 3" approx) to trap ants -- very beneficial, tho this is the larvae and the adult bug looks kind of like a small dragonfly. If you very gently put a tiny bit of sand or leaf etc in their pit, they'll start kicking sand to make the "bug" fall in so they can eat it. We used to spend HOURS as kids scooping them out of their pits, playing with them, then putting them back.
'kay, so now that I've boored you all to sleep with about 50 times as much info as you wanted on bugs,
, our biggest spiders are wolf, tarantulas (tho not usually in this part of TX) and golden garden spiders (aka banana spiders). Lucky you're up there, mojo, cause here the wolf spiders get a good 3-3-1/2"!! And they can jump like kangaroos as quick as lightening! The goldens leave you alone unless you attack them in some way, same with tarantulas, tho they're big jumpers, too.I'm downright phobic about snakes and DH is phobic about spiders, so we've had a deal for years: I hear him scream, I run kill the spider for him, he hears me scream, he runs to kill the snake for me!
The only bug I'm scared of (and only slightly) is scorpions and we used to have TONS! We DE'd under the house (diatomaceious earth) and didn't have any for years, but they're showing up again -- gonna hafta get under the house again! Yuck! We used to have LOTS of black widows, too, but the DE floats around and gets everywhere, so they've all disappeared.Our doc keeps harmful bugs and spiders in jars in his office to show kids what to avoid -- I've provided black widows and brown recluses more than once.
Here yah go ladies.. Meet my pet tarantula named Flick (Brachypelma Boehmei or Mexican red knee) , he's a boy . I got him in Aug as my bday present he is not full grown yet but you will see what he will possibly look like when he is.. lol Reason I called him Flick is because this species flick their .... hair as a defense mechanism, they only bite as a last defense which would feel like a nasty wasp sting but won't kill you unless you are alergic of course. If you get flicked in the face or eyes it would feel like someone threw a bunch of shredded fiberglass at you and of course your skin will start burning, then itchy and blotching for a few days.
Here are some of his pics growing up.. he was probably the size of a mosquito when I got him.. lol
This ia what he will possibly come close to look like when he is full grown
Unfortunately because he is a boy he will live to 5yrs old if Flick would of been a female it could of lived for up to 25yrs
he is not full grown yet but you will see what he will possibly look like when he is.. lol Reason I called him Flick is because this species flick their .... hair as a defense mechanism, they only bite as a last defense which would feel like a nasty wasp sting but won't kill you unless you are alergic of course. If you get flicked in the face or eyes it would feel like someone threw a bunch of shredded fiberglass at you and of course your skin will start burning, then itchy and blotching for a few days.Here are some of his pics growing up.. he was probably the size of a mosquito when I got him.. lol
This ia what he will possibly come close to look like when he is full grown
Unfortunately because he is a boy he will live to 5yrs old if Flick would of been a female it could of lived for up to 25yrs
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Even tho I'm not into spiders, mojo, he really is cool looking and the adult is beautiful! I think this exposure therapy wobecause when we moved here years ago, DH was TERRIFIED of all bugs! We've lived out here in the woods with a ba-zillion bugs all this time and they hardly bother him anymore! Gotta say, I'm still nearly as afraid of snakes as always, but I don't run into snakes day in and day out like he does with the bugs. I can't even kill one myself unless I shoot it -- can't get myself close enough with a shovel or hoe -- I panic!
Mojo, he's very pretty (as much as a spider can be.....) Do you take him out and play with him?
Funny, that's for the critter info- it was interesting. I've heard of the antlions before, but not of someone playing with them
Funny, that's for the critter info- it was interesting. I've heard of the antlions before, but not of someone playing with them
Mojo, he's very pretty (as much as a spider can be.....) Do you take him out and play with him?
Funny, that's for the critter info- it was interesting. I've heard of the antlions before, but not of someone playing with them
.. nope not yet, I still bolt as fast as he does when he takes a run in his tank without letting me know first.. lolI was terrified of spiders still am a bit but not as close to before thanks to Flick.. We don't have killer spiders where I am and I was tired of running from them specialy considering they don't get big at all here.. So I told hubby I would like to get a Tarantula to help me cause they grow to be huge and maybe that will take my fears away from ours... still crossing fingers on that.
Will I ever handle it... no idea.. lol
I was terrified of spiders still am a bit but not as close to before thanks to Flick.. We don't have killer spiders where I am and I was tired of running from them specialy considering they don't get big at all here.. So I told hubby I would like to get a Tarantula to help me cause they grow to be huge and maybe that will take my fears away from ours... still crossing fingers on that.
Will I ever handle it... no idea.. lol
You are braver than I am!!! Good luck
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