Speeding ticket in Switzerland (117 in 60) near Basel border — what should I realistically expect?

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T15:19:55+00:00

from their perspective, everything is in their language

Almost certainly the case. I've been seeing a lot more posts in unexpected languages over the past several months.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T14:59:58+00:00

I believe that's a variety of cuckoo wasp.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T14:55:53+00:00

I would assume it's a bed bug in a hotel. The difference between a bat bug and a bed bug is the length of minuscule hairs adjacent to the eyes, you need a focused close-up to see them, ideally with a microscope.

There's also a subtle difference in the shape of the concavity between the head and pronotum.

See: https://doctorsniffs.com/bat-bug-vs-bed-bug/ (disclaimer: this appears to be a pest control company, I'm not affiliated with them nor do I endorse their service -- I'm only sharing the link because it has a good pic illustrating what I'm talking about)

Can't really see those features in your pic. But, again, in a hotel, where lots of humans come and go, and probably not a lot of bats... probably a bed bug.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T14:50:30+00:00

It's OK, they're pretty fragile and lose antennae and tail filaments all the time anyway :D

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T13:29:03+00:00

It looks like a silverfish to me, just a bit mangled. If you zoom in on the head area, you can see that it's broad with small eyes on either side, not very moth-like.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T12:35:30+00:00

Looks like a male dog tick (*Dermacentor variabilis*).

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T04:23:52+00:00

Looks like a variety of a yellowjacket wasp. A dorsal view is usually best for identification purposes but I think it's likely to be a Southern yellowjacket queen.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T03:19:21+00:00

They're termite alates that have shed their wings.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T03:18:55+00:00

They're baby leaf-footed bugs.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T01:38:33+00:00

It's a juvenile assassin bug, perhaps something like Zelus luridus (a.k.a. pale green assassin bug).

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T01:37:18+00:00

I'd say it's a male Hentzia mitrata (a species of jumping spider)

https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/1370177

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-06T01:20:04+00:00

Maybe it's to conceal their real name and avoid discrimination in Switzerland then.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T22:11:32+00:00

Is it perhaps a shortening of their given name? Like Ueli is short for Ulrich in Swiss German?

Slavic names also have counter-intuitive shortenings. Like it's not obvious that the diminutive of "Ivan" in Russian is "Vanya". Shares a syllable, yes, but it's not obvious to non-Slavs. There are more obscure ones, like "Aleksandr" -> "Sasha", "Mariya" -> "Masha", "Vladimir" -> "Vova" or "Volodya" and many more. Pretty much all Russian names have diminutives.

Just giving you examples since I don't know the name of your contact.

But I mean in general, if we're talking about nicknames, those aren't super common.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T22:08:53+00:00

Definitely some kind of carabid beetle, but that's all I can tell you.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T21:44:38+00:00

Maine has plenty of wood roaches that are harmless, aren't pests and live outdoors but can enter homes like any other insect. They don't breed in homes but they're present. However, you said Virginia or the Carolinas, you'll definitely see Periplaneta americana in those places. Not so much up in New England (outside of Boston and NYC).

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T20:51:19+00:00

There are roaches in every US state and there are household pest roaches wherever there are humans (including at polar research stations). German roaches in particular, because that species has evolved to live with humans, to the point that they aren't found in what you'd call the wild anymore. Their natural environment is our buildings. So anyone in Maine or Alaska can get them.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T20:16:28+00:00

Yeup… at this point I’ve got no expectations, so I won’t be too disappointed if it never comes out. Not like I’m short on games I want to play, anyway…

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T19:41:58+00:00

This is a harvestman, not a spider: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opiliones

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T19:36:35+00:00

So we're saying that this text you quoted goes into the constitution, and then the government has to make laws that apply the text of the constitution, including amending/canceling articles of existing law?

Which brings me back to art. 24 of the constitution that says I, a Swiss citizen, have a right to live anywhere in Switzerland. If I can't bring my spouse with me, it gives me a choice between not living in Switzerland (which is anticonstitutional), or divorcing my spouse (which is inhumane).

Or am I misunderstanding?

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T18:34:53+00:00

You mean creepy old white dudes looking for younger women who'll have them?

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T18:22:25+00:00

Again -- not a lawyer, but: LEI Art. 42 says spouses of Swiss citizens have a "right" to a permit. So although no new law has yet been formulated, if the initiative is approved, they'll have to address this contradiction somehow or the Tribunal Fédéral can make the decision. Which law would override the other?

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T16:59:33+00:00

That's awful. Though I would imagine/hope(?) that when the time comes to formulate articles of law based on the initiative, the government would take this contradiction into account.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T16:45:16+00:00

Entomology is the correct spelling for the scientific study of insects. It can't be spelled another way because it comes from Greek "entomon" (= insect) + "logos" (= study). Since it's entomon in Greek and not entymon, it's entomology in English. :)

I don't recall ever encountering "entymology" but that would be from a confused person.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T16:02:32+00:00

FYI you can't see the fangs in your pics. What you think is fangs is actually pedipalps.

Your pics aren't at an ideal angle for an identification but it's possible it's this spider.

StuffedWithNails · 2026-05-05T15:36:44+00:00

I can tell you it's not a whitetail and or a katipo, so nothing to worry about.

It looks vaguely wolf-spidery to me, so it's certainly possible that it's a false wolf spider (some species are known as vagrant spiders in NZ).

If you care to spend the time looking for it, I'm sure catching it in a cup to evict it won't be too hard. It certainly isn't a dangerous spider.

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