Posts by aven

  • Flügel flach oder unter zehn Grad

    I'd say it is mostly a matter of personal preference. At least for macrolepidoptera, which are almost always determined by looking at the wings. A slight angle may look a little nicer inside a cabinett. But if you plan on photographing your specimens, I'd recommend a flat view to avoid distorted wings. In any case I think 10° is a bit too much. Try 3-5° each wing.

  • Schmetterling?

    Many Bee Flies (fam. Bombyliidae), lay their eggs mainly on solitary bees and bumblebees, often mid air. When they hatch, the maggots feed mainly on eggs and young larvae. Some are parasites one bees, other on ants and a few feed on grasshopper ova. I don't know if any bee fly parasites on honey bees. Nor have I seen much territorial behavior. As with many other insects the male will approach anything resemblant to a female, thereby scaring away all non interested parties.

  • Online services you wish existed

    Kevin!!! :smiling_face::applaus:

    You are so right! This is why I created this thread: Knowing how to use a web site, doesen't mean you automaticlly know how to make one. That is why I asked who would recognize words like "HTML", "JavaScript", "MySQL" or "css". And who would even know how, when and where to use those things. Those who do, can create a web site of their own. Those who don't, can't. And if you are one of those who never bothered to learn these things, it doesn't imply lack of inteligence. It only implies you've never studied them.

    Knowing how to use websites in general does, however, give you the ability to think both about sites you've seen or just heard of, as well as sites you've only imagined in your head. Like: "Hmmmm.... It's too tiresome feeding all my caterpillars. Wouldn't it be cool, if there were a website you could go to and breed virtual butterflies?". That's an idea! If you come up with an idea like that, and many others join in and say "Hey" What a GREAT idea you had!!!", chances are some web programmer - or a few - will make such a site.

    Knowing how to create a web site, doesn't mean you automatically know what sites others would like to see. I mean, we all know facebook and Actias are pretty popular. But we didn't before they existed. Now they do and as long as they work well, there isn't much point in making copies. What we (the programmers) need, is normal users thoughts on what doesn't exist. Or, maybe it exists but you think it could be made better.

    Disclaimer: I mentioned facebook, because it is one of the most well known examples of a web service which became very popular as soon as it was published, while no one had really asked for it before. That said, I'd like to mention that I've never registered on facebook. I don't recommend anyone to use it, ever. And I'd like to warn everyone using it. Be very careful about what you put out there. You think you're just using their product. You ARE their product!

  • Online services you wish existed

    Service proposal

    Invertebrate protein industry reports

    It is a well established fact, that the world can not provide its human population with all the meat we like to stuff ourselves with. And the most promising short term solution seems to be to turn our interest to invertebrates.

    Create a website, where you provide ideas and insights into industrial beeding of invertebrates as a protein source. How to do it, what species to breed and how to process them. What could they be used for? What methods are most cost/space effective? Visit such establishments or ask for their data, Make it easier for companies and private families to turn to invertebrate based protein. And I don't mean simply "eat more spiders". Many bird and fish cultures in the existing food industry could be fed with proteins from insects, worms, molluscs etc. Pigs are being fed with protein powder to improve the end product. What works and what doesn't.

    Make it both into a source of general informathon, a think tank for others to contribute and a kind of online news letter, where you - and others - can publish more detailed studies.

  • Wasp Queen

    > If not, how can I make it suitable?

    1. Glue a piece of sandpaper or wood in the flasks bottom before turning it upside down.
    2. Wrap a carpet or something around the bottle on the outside. If it's V vulgaris, she will probably prefer to nest somewhere dark. No sunlight on the nest!

  • Mücke?

    I would guess gen. Culiseta.

    There are several species. One of the most common is Culiseta annulata. But it is difficult to say for sure. One would probably need better pictures of thorax from above and abdomen from the sides. Also, some Culiseta species have tark spots on their wings. C. annulata has 5-6 such dark spots on each wing.

  • Online services you wish existed

    Service proposal

    Species descriptions database

    I've collected descriptions (mainly original) of myriapoda and compiled them into one document for each genus. I know there is a bit of a copyright problem if I were to share my documents, many of which are complete. But it is a shame, that all the work I've done will be wasted when I die. I wish there was a site where people could work together to create a library of descriptions. I would definitely contribute to such a service, as well as use it to download documents from others.

  • Online services you wish existed

    Senior programmer

    Let me start out by declaring myself as an "experienced programmer", though I am far too busy to be of any help, I'm afraid. I could give advice, maybe. But I won't the one who makes a new web service. That is for others.

    I would rather need help from others with my own projects. But that's another story.

  • Online services you wish existed

    This is a bit off topic. Admin may relocate this thread to where it belongs and then delete this line. I wasn't sure where to put it.

    Let's make the web a better place :emojiSmiley-102: 

    Last week I made a comment about new web sites and missing online services in another thread. Since then I thought, "why not create a place where members can post online services they wish existed". Others can put likes on proposed services they think they would use. Then those, who would like to create a site of their own, could pick up on posted ideas.

    Also, I'd like to know how many of us enomologists know how to create a web site? Who understands server scripts? Who knows SQL? Who uses javascript, JQuery, css, etc.?

    In other words, you may join this discussion if you want someone else to create a new service OR if you are one of those who could get the job done.

  • New helpful website for breeding and keeping Lepidoptera

    Saturn : Good point!

    It is nice when people try to create new web sites, as long as they can provide a different or better service.

    luna moth : Think! What is missing from all current online services? Identify a few of those and create your own service to fill in the void. Advertising on ACTIAS about a new site, which does the same as ACTIAS at a smaller scale, doesn't seem very intelligent. You have to come up with something original. At least you could say it's supposed to be for "US users only" or something. Otherwise people already on ACTIAS won't think it worth the effort to check your version, since they are here already.

    A few examples of nonexisting (to my knowledge) services:

    - Acorn provider: Sell 5 acorns for either $25 or 100 fresh acorns from the buyer. Such a service will fill up your own stock with more acorns from around the world. Doesn't have to be about acorns either.

    - Cyclops identification Aid: Specialize in a much overlooked group. Either request collected samples or photo contributions from viewers. Create something like a "key to species of the world". Could be almost any invertabrate group, as long as it's well defined and not too big.

    - Entomological methods base: What do we know about insects and how do we know it. Find out what methods have been used in scientific studies and create a site where amateurs can get ideas on how to investigate.

    - Biological Equipment Agency: Let manufacturers of items suitable for biological studies (eg. insect pins, nets, microscopes, UV-lams, cabinets etc.) enlist on your site in order to be contacted by retailers around the world.

    - Livestock Shopping Lane: This is similar, but not the same as ACTIAS. Not every breeder know how to make a website (though it is quite easy nowdays). Let others set up and manage their own shop on your site. You only provide the framework and CMS. Also let customers rate shops they've bought from or communicated with.

    These are just a few I came up with right now. And I could say a lot more about each. I would have used all but the last had they existed. I'm sure you can find one which is more aligned with your own interests.

  • Tausendfüßler Copula?

    No. They were not "in copula" when the picture was taken. But it most likely is a pair, where the male is the one on top. When they do mate, the male climbes around so that their foremost segments meet feet to feet, thus pulling her head towards him, embracing it by his legs.

    I'm not sure what species they are. Hard to tell from this picture. It looks like order Polydesmida though.

    I think they haven't mated yet. I'm guessing the male rides on the female to be around when she is ready to be inseminated. I'm not a specialist on polydesmid millipedes. But I've seen such behavior in other millipede orders. It is also quite possible that he's somehow getting her into the right mode by striking and tapping her body in certain ways, or at least spraying her with pheromones. It's not something I've witnessed. I just think it would be evolutinary efficient if he did and, therefore, also very likely to be.

  • Unbekannte Schrecke

    It sure looks like an Uromenes sp. But why rugosicollis? Could it not be Uromenus ortegai? Or any other? If anyone knows a bit more about how to tell different species apart, I'd like to know more about that.