4/20/2021: Spring snow sucks and other sentiments
Just when I thought we were out of winter for good, around noon today it started snowing. It’s quite surreal to see all of the flowers and leafing out trees under a dusting of...
Just when I thought we were out of winter for good, around noon today it started snowing. It’s quite surreal to see all of the flowers and leafing out trees under a dusting of...
The last few weeks have been a real blur. Spring bug orders have been coming in (including some cool new roaches I’ll be posting about after their arrival) and going out, and I have...
Spring is here and with a whole slew of projects and work. April’s been another busy month for me with no signs of stopping. One of the most frequent e-mail inquiries I’ve gotten over...
At the behest of budding bug enthusiast Carlos Michaelsen, we visited a pull out in the Florida Keys that reportedly had a good population of easily accessible isopods. While it was originally thought that...
After this week’s basement fiasco I was happy to receive a box from a good friend with some equally good goodies. These cf. Sigmoria sp. may look delicious but are capable of creating lethal...
Today is the perfect day to gush about these incredible beetles we found on weeds in Florida! These beautiful beetles are unbelievably shiny and very rare, only found in extreme southern Florida! Their color...
With the basement under control I’ve been back on the e-mail hustle and can contently say the inboxes will be clear tonight! As always, your collective patience is excessively appreciated! Joining me in the...
When it rains it pours, and as is typical for misfortune multiple bad things tend to happen simultaneously. My basement (read: bug room) drains have decided to overflow once more for the first time...
Compared to last year our weather lately has been outright gorgeous and much of the flora is waking up for spring proper. This has given (or forced, rather) my hand on many spring related...
My favorite thing about collecting trips is finding new captivating things, especially ones I’ve never even fathomed. While sorting through some beach wrack on Key Largo I found a bustling microcosm of familiar invertebrates....
Believe it or not, I’m still in the process of unpacking bugs from the trip. I tend to get a bit carried away when finding new species and usually approach non-target trip projects with...
Hopping right into some thoughts on the Florida trip, I’d like to focus on a very unique United States endemic roach: Eurycotis floridana! This is a large and underrated member of the unique fauna...
The last few weeks have really been a blur. The Florida trip was a huge success and I have many observations and things to share. I’m still in the middle of putting things away...
Today as I frantically prepare my collection for a few weeks’ absence, I look forward to what adventures and cool bugs await me in the exotic country of Florida. I’m excited to share my...
The color blue in living things has a very flexible definition. There are “blue” rabbits, “blue” flowers, and “blue” cats, but the true distribution of definitively blue coloration is rather sporadic and quirky (off...
With my shipping done and the collecting trip growing ever-nearer this has been an unconventional time to add to my projects, but some opportunities are too good to pass up. Stilpnochlora couloniana is a...
Florida collecting trip preparations are in full swing as I hurry to tie up loose ends. The next few days will be my busiest order packing effort ever as last week’s delays and the...
One of the most frequently asked things about Cubaris care is whether or not limestone, which has been touted as critical to Cubaris health, is necessary. Many are surprised to find that I do...
For those who couldn’t tune in live, here’s a link to the livestream from yesterday evening: It was a lot of fun and a real treat to show off some bugs and answer some...
It seems winter took exceptionally long to get a stranglehold this year but we’re finally seeing veritable winter weather. I’ve decided to postpone shipping to next week for all orders, which should minimize the...
Whether you’re single, taken, or smothered in bugs, I hope everyone has a lovely Valentine’s day. Mention this blog in an order inquiry today to get 30% off starter colonies of Elliptorhina laevigata (V-horn...
Rus from Aquarimax has provided a link for the interview this Tuesday. https://youtu.be/NOZ59HRlvBI I’m looking forward to getting into some nitty gritty topics and answering some in-depth questions! I’m contemplating delaying shipping this week...
Well, here it finally is! The last of the old guard of projects and species I’ve been working on. Note, this list excludes a variety of things that will be arriving in the coming...
Blog posts have been a bit slow lately as I deal with some USPS issues, which fortunately have now been fixed! Next Tuesday, February 16th, at 5:30 PM US mountain time, I will be...
Today’s another busy packing day but I’ve finally gone through and updated the pricing and availability of all non-roaches on the site! My next roach care day is this Thursday so I will be...
After what’s felt like forever I’ve finally gone through, sorted, and refreshed every one of my isopod bins. Now I can rest in peace for a few years! The final compendium will be up...
It’s time to put on your sleuthing gear as we dissect the mystery of yet another isopod line! A few years ago Porcellio scaber “Ghost” began circulating amongst several other supposed morphs. “Ghost” was...
This Thursday it’s been nose to the isopod bins as the end is in sight; a mere 50 project tubs await me and it’s down to the nitty gritty of picking as few as...
The last week has been a real blur here with the heaviest shipping load I’ve ever had. A big thank you to everyone for enabling me to do what I love to the extent...
The last 48 hours have been a blur of packing orders, sorting isopods, and meticulously picking over projects. Regrettably, there’s more to be done than I imagined and things will be spilling over into...
Isopod culture re-dos are chugging along and I finally have some names and descriptions for projects! I’ll be adding more of these lists as work continues, but here are the spoils for now: Proven...
One of my favorite things about summer is finding obscure bugs outside and tinkering with keeping a culture going. This can end successfully (in this case of the showy moth flies), or not so...
Taking a quick break from the monotony of isopod sorting, I’ve been doing more incremental species additions and I think this will be more manageable for me ultimately. Although a huge isopod dump is...
For the next week and a half expect a barrage of isopod related posts on my supposedly cockroach site. I’ve been cracking open the project bins and opening many Pandora’s boxes and that will...
With this week’s orders delayed by late heat packs and my drive to clear the backlog in full force, I couldn’t help but get a jump start on sorting and prepping some projects. When...
After a few days without snow I was beginning to feel the spring vibes creeping in, only to have that shattered with another downfall of the oppressive frozen sky fluid. It’s at these times...
After some deliberating I’ve decided to start stocking regal jumping spiders, Phidippus regius. They are wonderful pet spiders and certainly the most consistently engaging arachnid pet (pet holes are fun for a few seconds...
Today was my busiest shipping day ever with a few orders delayed until tomorrow. With real winter temperatures approaching, proper packaging and shipping services are more important than ever. Indoors, there are more comical...
It’s been great to be back into the swing of things and the changes I’ve made to my business model have been extremely satisfactory for me. I hope that others have noticed some of...
Patience is a virtue some virtuously lack. Impatient for adult goliath beetles, one of my friends purchased an adult male from none other than Bugs in Cyberspace and had it shipped to me for...
As we pass the halfway point this January I take a moment to panic about everything that needs to be done by spring. The fruits of many winter endeavors won’t be reaped for many...
I have been absent from many online communities for some time now, due to a complex combination of circumstances, but have noticed a very dramatic shift in isopod cultivation. The focus now seems to...
Thanks to Adam Micyus of Roachville, Roach Crossing will now be stocking his revolutionary new barrier material. Check out the Supplies and Substrate page for pricing and more info. -Kyle
While taking some colony pictures for a trade I noticed a tiny comedy unfold. Her face buried in a rotting apple piece, an adult female Therea regularis was flicking her rear legs at a...
So far this winter has been pleasantly mild and while I’m not complaining, field work season will be upon us before we know it. I got the urge to re-do all of my old...
Over the last year or so I’ve been coordinating with Adam of Roachville on acquiring and stocking a revolutionary new enclosure barrier he’s discovered. This new material is inorganic, non-toxic, heat and cold resistant,...
Odd occurrences are to be expected in the bug room somedays and today was no exception. I have been working on some new methods for composting wood for detritivorous animals and among the techniques...
Two weeks ago I received some Goliathus goliatus larvae from Bugs in Cyberspace. Curious about communally housing this species despite numerous warnings, I put two of my larvae in 32 oz cups of mycelium-infused...
Let’s hope 2021 is far better than 2020! May an exciting year of new bugs and insect discoveries await you! -Kyle
While packing some lobster roaches (Nauphoeta cinerea, or “woodies” for the handful of Aussie visitors) today I reflected on how useful this species is. They were one of the first dozen species I ever...
I hope everyone’s holidays are going as well as they can during these times!I’ll be continuing the new species additions into the fast-approaching New Year and still have a long way to go, but...
Wherever you are, whatever you’re celebrating, and however your season’s been going, I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy (almost) New Year! Let’s hope the coming months are better than 2020!...
One of the gateway drug bugs is undoubtedly the common mealworm, Tenebrio molitor. The species has been a staple of laboratories, zoos, and classrooms for over a century, functioning as an easy feeder and...
Every year, the day after the winter solstice I love to say… it’s spring. In three (debatably) short months, the sun will shine, the birds will sing, the flowers will bloom, and summer in...
Though roaches have been my main “thing” for years, in the background I’ve always had a lot of other projects running. Among them, a constantly churning slew of isopod morphs and localities. Many household...
One of the best things about insects is finding little secrets about their anatomy, biology, or physiology. Today while photographing some yellow-bellied sun beetles I found something very funny. The dorsal and ventral surfaces...
Considering the white wasteland outside I’m quite content to be indoors chipping away at site work. The New Species page is getting quite a few additions and my goal is to have at least...
About a week ago spurred on by the interests of a friend I decided it was time to work with some larger beetles. I’ve been quite fond of the cetoniines I’ve worked with over...
Greetings everyone, As some have noticed, there have been sizable changes to the content and aesthetic of the site. The last few years haven’t been ideal for me, but I feel some things have...