Abbott Ecology

 Some updates:  The ladybugs didn’t make it. I think the pill bugs in the enclosure killed most of their food sources and laying grounds.  Moss didn’t make it - twice.  Mantis escaped - twice Rhino beetles are still going strong Pond is coming along nicely. I'm working on determining where the best placement for plants would be based on the pond's soil, sunlight, and toxicity to animals. Some of the plants, such as the mandevilla can cause stomach distress to dogs, so I want it up on the support system for the next time we foster puppies. I attempted to keep lady bugs.  I attempted to keep moss.

 A massive bug update since January! Sometime after January : I bought some hornworms from PetSmart, and they had pupated. I set them out on the porch (with the enclosure zipper closed) for some warmth so they’d hatch. Someone stole the pupae and enclosure right off my front porch! I’m so mad! Apr 15th - one of my female ox beetles emerged and was drying her wings. I was fortunate enough to catch it! June 23rd - banana spider bananananannana spider! I took too many pictures of her and she got spooked and left. July 4th - I had my first taxidermy experience with a Texas Tan Tarantula. It was gross, but well worth the final result! Update June 2024: I had to clear up space on my phone, so I uploaded the taxidermy videos onto youtube. Rewatching them brings back horrible memories. I was NOT stoic! 😂 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 July 16 th - One of my gorgeous ox beetle boys modeling for me August 6th - found a mantis in the garden and brought it inside for observation Augu...

Oct 15th - I had released some lacewings and ladybugs this past spring, so it was nice to see one flying around while we were working outside. There’s quite a few, which make me hopeful for the coming year. If you look behind the fly you’ll see a very tiny toad. This isn’t one of mine, just a little guy from the pond.  The toads are getting bigger. They're so cute!   Nov 17th - I found this Hackberry butterfly on the ground at school. I picked it up walked to my class, and left it in a bush outside. I came back 2 hours later and it was still there, so I took it home. Nov 21st - I ordered moss from Amazon. It has not been great so far, after a particularly nasty run in with fungus gnats (my fault, not the seller’s fault) I’m hoping that the moss that is left will survive. Jan 6th - Clearly this is not an exclusive entomology journal anymore, and even if it was, I think shrimp count as bugs. The fish have been upgraded to a 30 gallon tank, leaving their previous tank available...

I have a few biology projects currently ongoing, some entomology-related, some plant, some amphibian. My specimen collection is growing Yellowstriped Armyworm June 17th - armyworm caterpillar found eating my taro. Captured and kept in a glass jar of substrate and fed taro + monstera leaves. (top two pictures) July 6th - armyworm grew to 4.5cm and turned green, then dug itself into the substrate to pupate (middle left picture) July 9th - I dug it up, incorrectly assuming that it would already be a pupa. Instead it was shriveled down to about 2cm and looking pretty gnarly. (middle photo) July 11th - It successfully pupated despite my intrusions and was transferred into the butterfly enclosure. (middle right photo) July 24th - We have a moth! It lets me hold it. It never once flew away from me. (lower two photos) July 29th - Wow, it already died. I was going to give it a different fruit every day of its celebate life but I guess grape, orange, and apple is the most that an armyworm m...

An update about my mealworm colony. I recently reorganized after various iterations. What I’ve decided for setup is to use blended oats as substrate, and carrots as a regular water source.  The main setup (photo 1) is still in a 3-drawer system 14”x12”x3” per drawer.  The top drawer is the youngest mealworms that are recently hatched and about 1 cm long.  The middle drawer has the older mealworms ranging from 1cm-3cm with some pupating occasionally.  The bottom drawer has Generation 2 adult darkling beetles (photo 4 and 5) which are typically about 1.5 cm long This is where they get busy and have eggs.  When the mealworms turn into pupa they are transferred into a different bucket (photo 2 and 3) where they can hatch into beetles. This will be my 3rd generation of beetles. Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly Oct 2021 - took a creepy looking caterpillar home and thought I accidentally killed it. Turns out it pupated.  March 17, 2022 - butterfly emerged. May 26,...

  First attempt at Strategus aloeus lifecycle I’m a little embarrassed to include this experiment, because I made some rookie decisions and lost 8 larvae, then released 2 back to the garden bed that I found them in because they are native beneficial insects.  Unfortunately I could not find any literature on Strategus aloeus husbandry. I had found them incidentally in my yard and thought to myself “hey, this thing is terrifying! I’ll see what it turns into!” After some lost sleep and a very detailed conversation about beetles from a man in the Philippines about native ranges of beetle species, we were able to identify my likely species. As larvae and adult they eat rotting vegetation. I collected them and their surrounding dirt to set up my first terrarium.  At that point I didn’t have a glass tank, instead I had a hamster cage. I thought it would be perfect because it was roomy and about 6” deep with clear plastic walls and lots of ventilation on top. Eventually I found a...

  I’m gonna grow mealworms for my ducks! My son with a big ol’ handful of larvae!  Here’s the top drawer. I have the larval stage in the top drawer with plenty of fruit for the little guys to munch Shout out to my lemon cucumber plants! They’re the MVPs here for producing enough water source for three drawers and 7 ducks!  I think that this pale guy either just became the last instar of the cycle or is about to pupate. I’m not entirely sure at this point. He stays in the baby bin until later notice.  Update 08/27/22: This is what they look like right after molting into their last instar. Ugh. What a cute one with his little grape. I have pupa in the bottom drawer. I’m not feeling quite as confident about that move, because I’d like to turn the second drawer’s bottom into a screen for eggs to drow down into. However, I have neither the time nor the screen materials to accomplish that, so for now they’re gonna have their own beauty sleep area. I put them all under the ...