Let's Talk Bugs (I mean insects!)

So my house has gotten a little bug-y lately.  With the highs over 100 for most of the summer, the insects have decided to make their home in our home.  Now most people would get annoyed with this idea but in our house we have an amateur entomologist (thanks to our 4H endeavors!). 

Sean would love to collect insects but I would not allow real specimens sitting around our house.  Several years ago, we settled on a photo collection instead.  Whew!  Saved by the photography project...thank goodness! 

So here we are collecting photos around the community for the last few years.  However, lately it has gotten a little more personal.  We live in a wooded area outside of town and we see a variety of insects.  Lately they have been making their way to our nice cool air-conditioned home.

In the last month, we have found:

Not sure what kind of wasp (?) this was
but it was the largest I have ever seen!

• a brown recluse,
• a scorpion,
• ants,
• a mole cricket,
• mosquitoes (I thought they liked it humid...Aren't we in a drought?!),
• a praying mantis,
• black widow (out at our bee hive!),
• walking stick,
• and more!

This little guy had a broken wing and
wanted to hang around with Edward for a while

A mole cricket Brendan found for us

This was a lively guy...I wish you could see
the video but too embarrassed to show
the reaction of the family when it flew at us...LOL!!!

We also helped with a research project associated with a university in North Carolina.  They are trying to look at the ant population throughout the United States.  Yesterday, we collected two sets of data to their specifications and are sending them off today.  Here is the website to check out this project yourself:  http://www.schoolofants.org/about.html.

I just had to add this last one...cool shot and look at how big he is!!!!