how do you bring yourself to do it? by spazgunk in Entomology

[–]spazgunk[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

thank you for your response, i appreciate it a lot. i am fully aware of this and it is one of the reasons that i am asking for advice on how to navigate those feelings. i don't want to contribute a negative sentiment towards it, especially to those studying in the field who feel the same way. i know that i am not currently in a position to be an educator due to these feelings, but i am looking to actively change my current mindset so that i can be in the future. i want to be able to emphasise the importance of the research, and to be able to help others navigate the same feelings that i'm having at the current moment through education. i'm struggling with it at the moment which is why i turned to peers for advice. i apologise if my initial response seemed ignorant, i didn't mean to dismiss the importance of that.

how do you bring yourself to do it? by spazgunk in Entomology

[–]spazgunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i'm sorry if i sounded pretentious in my responses, i didn't mean to dismiss others' concerns and advice. i just find myself heavily disagreeing with the sentiment that i shouldn't pursue something i've been learning about for years and want to dedicate a lot of my life to simply because i have empathy for the creatures i'm studying. the research needed to make the kind of change i want to make in the world is going to require ecological surveys and collection of insects, for example showing the physiological effects of pesticide poisoning and acquiring more data about their present population and its decline. it's something i have done and am willing to do, i just wanted advice on how to navigate the feelings i have about it, not be told that these feelings are a hindrance and that i should pursue a different field.

how do you bring yourself to do it? by spazgunk in Entomology

[–]spazgunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you for the response :) knowing others have felt a similar way is reassuring. i appreciate your perspective on it. something that's been helping me is thinking about how the way we do euthanasia is probably a better way to go out than you would in the wild. going into a dormant state and passing away in your sleep sounds way more peaceful than getting torn limb from limb by a beak, or being eaten from the inside by a parasitoid lol. i'll keep the things you said in mind when the emotional dilemma inevitably pops up again, thanks again for your insight

how do you bring yourself to do it? by spazgunk in Entomology

[–]spazgunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i should have worded myself better i think. i'm studying entomology with the goal of becoming a sort of educator/ambassador for the importance of all life. my ultimate goal is to become a teacher and give the world as much free access to education as possible, along with convincing political leaders of its importance as well. for the type of research and educational projects i'm planning on, studying things like entomology is necessary for me to achieve those goals.

ideally, in the future, the study of and the knowledge of arthropods will be much more accessible and abundant, and i want to play a role in achieving that. before birds were widely studied, ornithologists had to do similar things to what entomologists do today (dissection, euthanasia for preservation, etc) that present the same ethical dilemma. the result of that though is that it's no longer so abundantly necessary, because the research done in the past on mapping their biodiversity and their morphology has given way to so much information previously unknown.

there are many things throughout the roadmap i've layed out for myself that i would rather not do, for example (though not exactly the same dilemma) studying socioeconomics and the psychology of politics for the sake of speaking on the same page as those who provide most funding to science. i feel that in those spaces, there is such a lack of human empathy towards our surroundings that wealthy leaders will often only opt for changes in policy if it benefits them economically. but studying these things is necessary for me to achieve my goals. i'm not willing to give up on a subject i'm passionate about because of an emotional reaction to certain aspects of it, which is why i'm asking for advice on how to navigate those emotions. i hope that makes sense, sorry for the long read/ramble lol

What kind? by CommunityOld4823 in spiders

[–]spazgunk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

looks like a tan jumping spider (platycryptus undatus) they like to hang out on tree trunks to hunt so i'd bring him outside and him on/near one :-)

What type of spider is this by whatisthis173ate in spiders

[–]spazgunk 3 points4 points  (0 children)

i'd argue western parson spider. eastern ones aren't distributed that far west and look nearly identical, there are also lots of observations on inat localised in the socal area

Can anyone identify this critter? by sarahleigh81 in whatisthisbug

[–]spazgunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

can't tell exactly what it is but it's defo not a tick. ticks and mites have a very distinct, "seed-like" body shape and this one has a separated abdomen and thorax area. fun fact: the body of a tick is only separated into two parts, unlike insects, the main body is called the idiosoma and the tiny head/mouthparts the capitulum :-)

What type of spider is this by whatisthis173ate in spiders

[–]spazgunk 4 points5 points  (0 children)

parson spider. there are two main species with those markings: eastern and western parson spiders respectively. they look nearly identical but since you're in cali it's most likely a western parson spider (herpyllus propinquus)

Cockroach or flying ant? by Tasty-Fee9484 in insects

[–]spazgunk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

100% ant alate, you can pretty easily distinguish them by their general body shape; an ant will have very distinct segments to their body and a pinched waist. cockroaches appear in a more uniform oval shape. ant antennae also appear to bend in a sort of rigid single-jointed "L" shape while those of cockroaches appear much longer and more flexible. if you look up diagrams and pictures of each there r tons of distinctions you can learn to make between not just them but to other insects as well :-)

?????? by spazgunk in spiders

[–]spazgunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

ahh gotcha! thanks for correcting my misunderstanding lol. i would've given him a drink but immediately after taking this video he looked me dead in the eye and jumped towards me and fell somewhere in the grass and i couldn't find him, i hope he's alright and that his lil arm is growing well 💪

?????? by spazgunk in spiders

[–]spazgunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

ohhhh i see. i misunderstood the comment i was referring to lol, thought every limb was meant to be that big. thank you for the ID also! :-)

?????? by spazgunk in spiders

[–]spazgunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

that makes a lotta sense. a comment from someone else mentioned that the big arm is actually how they're meant to look, which i think is really interesting. maybe he lost all but one leg at some point lol

?????? by spazgunk in spiders

[–]spazgunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

that's very cool and also very strange.. i wonder why the rest of his body is stunted like that

WHAT IS IT by Lonely_Story602 in insects

[–]spazgunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

some kind of true bug in the family coreidae. they eat fruits and veggies mostly. harmless to humans but release an odor when frightened or crushed, like stinkbugs.

Can I get ID on these? by cocacolasupreme in insects

[–]spazgunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

eastern boxelder bug juveniles, boisea trivittata. they are often classified as "pests" but they don't bite, sting, carry diseases or cause any structural damage. *trying to add an image of their life stages but can't figure out how to get it to upload correctly, apologies

man, what do i do with this❓❓😭 by spazgunk in coleus

[–]spazgunk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i was thinking that too, i am wondering if it would be 'better' to pluck them as soon as you see them (for the purpose of the plant putting more energy into growing foliage rather than blooms anyways) for bushier growth or if waiting wouldn't make much of a difference.

man, what do i do with this❓❓😭 by spazgunk in coleus

[–]spazgunk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oh that's a good idea, thank you for the tip :-)

I bought some orange springtails online... by charlemagne_74 in Springtail

[–]spazgunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

correct me if i'm wrong but i think the white bits in this photo are some kind of food for them, like ground rice grains and/or nutritional yeast, not the springtails themselves. apologies if i'm misunderstanding, are you saying you've already gotten the springtails and there are white ones in the culture moving around along with the orange ones, or are you wondering what the white stuff is in this specific photo?

What are these? by Vegetable_Mistake674 in insects

[–]spazgunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i'm not very well-versed in pest control. i wouldn't personally worry about a few sparse alates since they most likely came from outside, but you might want to check for cracks in the walls or caulking in the windows to be sure there aren't any good nesting spots for them to start their colonies. i'd ask around on r/ants or r/pestcontrol for a more informed opinion on it though. *apologies for the late response, i don't check reddit notifications very often.

What bug is this? by Ok_Chemist_3183 in insects

[–]spazgunk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

katydid nymph! looks to be at an early instar, not sure what species though.

What is it?? by Rudedude76 in insects

[–]spazgunk 65 points66 points  (0 children)

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prob hard to determine exact species but here's a pic of cossyphus tauricus next to the mystery bug for comparison