Mailing our insects and spiders to California - your kidding, right?! They would most likely not live long, because the environment is very different, sentencing them to a quick death. Order them online if you really want them.

Answer me this
Do You ONLY Grow Plants That Are Native To FL???

Because your logic makes no scene
Are you saying people shouldn't/can't grow say succulents from South Africa or Nepenthes from Borneo because the environment is different in the US than it is in Africa or Borneo
Or
That all pets people keep are native to where they live

I have been raising exotic inverts & herps for over 30 years

Then you know where to buy them - go for it. I hope no one sends you live animals in the mail, because I don't believe you can provide the environment they need to survive.

Not to stir the pot but I know plenty of people that keep and breed walking sticks, arachnids and other inverts as "pets". They are usually kept inside in climate controlled cages/tanks.

karyn1 ~ Thanx You...

Karyn, you never stir the pot - I always love reading anything you have to say!

The point is: he wants FLORIDA native insects - they won't live in California unless he has a climate-specific habitat to house them in and knows what they need to survive. I am against intentionally killing a living thing, and after reading his request, I did quite a bit of reading on it - the atmosphere is totally different, the food source would be a problem and the animals that they pray on wouldn't be in Cal.

I am just asking that anyone who might be interested in trading/sending, would do their own research.

hey dc it's frog_bites from ab... ditto what karyn1 said... kayjones you have no clue what so ever what your talking about... there are 10s of 100s of 1000s +++ of people who collect and raise exotic spiders and insects as pets
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/forumdisplay.php?24-For-Sale-Trade-Want-to-Buy
http://www.petbugs.com/classifieds/usa-classifieds.html
and they spend just as much if not more time money and effort in keeping their "pets" alive and properly cared for than most plant people do plus you couldn't be more wrong about eric (dethcheez) he's a very respected collector in the invert community and provides way beyond proper care for all his inverts... i bet if you saw a scorpion walking across your kitchen floor you would stomp it... gotta love people who stick their 2cents in where it doesn't belong... good luck bro would help you out if i could...

Evil, send him all you want!

Speaking of '2 cents', who asked YOU?!

What - you aren't going to fly to Florida, collect bugs for him and mail them to him?! You're sure not a very good 'friend', imho!!!

@ kayjones "bored house wife with nothing better to do than stick her nose in other peoples business where it doesn't belong"... bet your also protesting michael vick getting a puppy for his kids... gotta love people who have nothing better to do with their time than harass other people...

evil_garden_gnome

LOL

But come on play nice
No need for rude comments

Hey
What's up Josh / Didn't even know you were on here
Wish you were still a SoCal local so we could hang out
I know S.C.A.B.I.E.S misses having you around
Hope all is going well for you in NY
& Thanx for having my back

Whoo Lets all just slow our roll here for a minute I know that this is a plant site & Not an invert site / I Know & under stand that & I never intended for my post to turn in to a heated argument in any way shape or form \*\*\*But My Offer Still Stands\*\*\* If you live in FL & have anything that I'm interested in crawling around your garden that you are willing to send me in exchange for plants I have a lot of interesting plants that I can offer in trade & I'm more than happy to compensate you for your time & effort & Contrary to kayjones "Unjustified" opinion They will be Way Beyond Properly cared for ~I Will Leave It At That~ If you're interest in my offer you can email me directly at dethcheez@aol.com

kayjones

I believe in freewill
& You are more than entitled to your beliefs & options

But to set the record straight
You came at/attracted me & my credibility first
Without knowing ANYTHING about me or having any just cause to do so

I'm in my 40s
My dad use to raise & breed herps & worked with local zoos way back in the day
So I was raised & have been around exotic animal ALL of my life

My first pets were tarantulas scorpions snakes & lizards
I was free handling snakes by the time I was 5 or 6 years old
So I am VERY experienced with well over 30 years of experience dealing with handling & caring for exotic animals
& Have spent most of my adult life fighting for animal rights & preservation

I'm an active board member with both of the herp clubs that I belong to & the (elected / because of my skill & knowledge) vice president of one the 3 invert societies that I'm a member of + I'm very active with local pounds rescues & humane societies in my area & a very active volunteer at the LA Zoo

Like I said You Have Every Right To Your Personal Opinions
But ABSOLUTELY "NO" Right What So Ever To Attack Comment Or Question My Husbandry Skills Without Knowing Anything About Me
& Honestly Think a Public Apology Is In Order / i.e. & I quote "I don't believe you can provide the environment they need to survive"

To other GW members that are reading this I am truly SORRY that my post took a wrong turn & kind of got "Out Of Hand" I was just trying to make an offer that would benefit/make all parties involved happy & Not trying to start any arguments on here Eric

There will come a time when people like you are the only hope for these Little critters to survive in this fast changing would of ours. Keep up the work and passion for them! I think it AWESOME!

Hi aquawise

Thank You for your support / It's very much appreciated

I'll be getting at about 5 tomorrow (should probably get off the computer & get some much needed sleep / LOL) to make about a 3 - 3 1/2 hour drive to speak at a pet expo on proper "exotic" animal care/husbandry & to protest the illegal collecting (poaching) shipping & black market sales of illegally imported animals

I have a deep seeded love & respect for ALL critters big & small including "Bugs"

yeah... i miss hanging out with you guys... it's all good out here but it's just not the same.... still adjusting i guess... say hi to everyone at scabies for me and tell them that i miss partying with them... kayjones bet you feel kind of stupid right about now... dethcheez is one hell of a good guy who has done more to fight for animal rights and proper care than anybody else that i've ever personally met and at his own expense and time and never asks for anything in return... my hat goes off to him for all the time effort and money he's dedicated to the cause and i know of a ton of other people who would back me up and say the same.

Hi Eric...I'm in AL but I'm right on the FL state line...so does that count?...I can keep a look out but I have no clue how to mail them at all...I've been a bit busy lately so may not be responsive right away but if you'll please email me instructions on how to mail these little critters I'll do what I can if I can find some special neat looking ones...I do have to tell you tho that I do kill brown recluses and the female black widows and their eggs when I find them...as I'm terribly afraid of them...I don't like touching banana spiders either but i do love looking at them and admiring them as they look so cool...the 1st time i ever saw one i was awed lol...but then i also just about jumped off of my riding lawnmower as i ran slap dap into its web...for someone who has a spider-phobia you can imagine my reaction lol

there is one here we've seen a few times that i've never noticed before...it looks kinda like the one in the pic you posted but it's a yellow color all over...it's really cool looking but i wasn't sure if it was a spider or something else...the kids said it had 8 legs but it almost looked like a squared off tick to me or maybe a rounded off stink bug

FINALLY...
After all the BS & name calling
LOL

Hi MoonFire Thank You for your non judgmental reply & offer to help me out on my jest It Is VERY Much Appreciated Not a 100% sure how far they wonder across the border But I do know there are a few different species of what are called Spiny and/or Arrow Orb Weaver Spiders So you may have some in your area I would be happy with any I think they're Way Beyond Totally AWESOME Looking & would LOVE to add a few to my collection I will email with collecting / shipping info. But then again if you have a fear of spiders NO Worries / It's All Good / Your offer is still greatly Appreciated But I would hate to & would never think of asking anyone to do something that they are not comfortable with doing I can see how you could mistake one for a tick as they are pretty tiny Like some of the jumping spiders I have Just be happy that the orb weaving spider that you're referring to as a Banana Spider (as they are called in your area) is more than likely a Golden Silk Orb Weaver They're BIG & spin Huge webs but are harmless (Wouldn't mind a few of those) & not a Brazilian Wandering Spider which is also known as Banana Spiders (They've made their way into the US via banana shipment from South America) as they are one of the VERY VERY FEW Spiders In The World Thats Bite Can Be /Is Actually DEADLY To Humans (Wandering Spiders don't spin webs) Thanx Again For Your Offer / Will Be In Touch Eric

hope moonfire can help u out... how'd the expo go???

Not the biggest or best expo I've been to
But it was all good
Had a Great Time & met a lot of Really Cool people
& I'm way beyond ecstatic over the amount of people who stepped to show their support & signed the petition against the illegal poaching & importation of illegally collected animals
Haven't got around to doing an official count yet but it has to be somewhere in (about) the 700 to 800 people range
Giving that there was only about 1500 to 2000 people tops at the expo if that / So almost half

Kim's going to kick my @$$ once she finds out how much I blew at the show / LOL

But I picked up another female Hydrodynastes Gigas
Up to a 1.3 breeding colony now
& A female Tri Color Hognose
Still can't believe I dropped 5 bills on her / Kicking my own @$$ over that / LOL
But just couldn't resist or pass on buying her
She has the most crisp clean defined color pattern I ever seen
She is WAY Beyond Gorgeous / Will email you some pics

I know it'll be awhile before I can (she's still a yearling)
But can't wait till I can try to breed her with my western and/or hetero albino male
I know you know that I've NEVER been in to it for the money
But what do you think an albino tri color (if I could achieve that cross / morph) would go for / 2 - 3 grand

PS
To evil_garden_gnome

You know we're bros
& I VERY Much Appreciate Your Support

Your "bored house wife" comment was well kind of hilarious / IMIO
& You know that I Totally Appreciate your support

But come on
You have to know that comments like that are going to get you kicked of GW
& Who what's that

It's not worth it
One persons (unjustified) opinion of me is no big thing
Nothing more than an insignificant drop in the bucket

Her opinions / comments can't hurt me or my rep
I have GOD on my side

wow... this is what i was talking about... do you see what kind of person dc is... hes someone that would actually publicly chastise a good fiend who had his back and supported him to protect the rights and options of someone who was talking **** about him even though their opinions of him were totally wrong and untrue ... ie kayjones... now that really takes some real b@lls and true integrity to do in my book ... and hey just for the record... no hard feels bro... i know u r just looking out for me... see im now using *s and @s because of u... lol... and i apologize to kayjones for the comments i posted... its just that i hate to see anyone bad mouth eric when i know how much good he has done for cause... because i know hes a true animal lover in every scenes of the word and has probably lost god knows how much money taking time off work that im sure he cant afford in this economy and has spent tons of cash and time doing things like paying for airfare and hotel rooms and what not to travail cross country to shows and rallies to fight for animal rights out of his own pocket and at his own expense and i commend and respect him him for that.... so if you can help him out please do so... he will do all in his power to take care of and provide very best care for anything you send him be it plants or animals... peace...

@ Josh

Words like "Chastise" make me feel old & responsible / LOL
Sorry kind of lost your new number
Shoot me an email (dethcheez@aol.com) so we can hook up & talk privately & not on a public forum

Totally appreciate your support
Just don't want to see you get banned / kicked off of GW because of me
And
To anyone else who is still fallowing the drama
(Sorry would have never posed my request here if I knew it was going it cause so much drama as I truly do hate drama / It's not worth it / Life is to short & you should enjoy it while you can)

BUT MY OFFER STILL STANDS
If you can help me out and not just FL residents
My offer is open to anyone that has any interesting "Bugs" hanging out in their garden that they are willing to send me in exchange for plants/seeds/cuttings etc
I will do my best to make it worth your time & effort

Thanx
Eric

I Love Bugs...

Oh My, I wish you had all the terrible looking spiders, and
bugs that we in TX have. I don't understand you. If I could,
I would send all of them to you. (I'm to afraid of them)
djune

I love the Leaf lnsect, just beautiful. Isn't the other one a type of scorpion? I'm in FL this week and was surprised to see the spider in your original post. It's web was in a fiddle leaf fig near the beach. It was too high up for me to get close, but I did try. I was surprised the web was so big. The spider was only about an inch across.

I love the Leaf lnsect, just beautiful. Isn't the other one a type of scorpion? I'm in FL this week and was surprised to see the spider in your original post. It's web was in a fiddle leaf fig near the beach. It was too high up for me to get close, but I did try. I was surprised the web was so big. The spider was only about an inch across.

The critter in the 1st pic is what's commonly called a Cave Spider or Tailless Whip Scorpion
But isn't a true spider or scorpion
It's a type of Amblypygids

The one in the pic is a Damon Variegatus from Tanzanian
(There's a smaller species that lives in Florida)

They're harmless
& Awesome to watch / They move in all kind of crazy ways

Eric, Want some Dynastes Tityus larvae? I have either 9 or 10 (at what I imagine is instar 2) depending on whether or not the one that keeps escaping has actually managed to get completely away. I can also probably get more since all I have to do is dig through the leaf pile. One thing though - I do not know how to ship them let alone into CA. Soil and plant matter are banned for shipping there due to nematodes among other things. How long can they go without food?

Too bad there is no way CA would allow the import of of some of our Lubbers. The ones in my yard were bigger than 3" and unlike the "normal" ones were jet black with red highlights and no yellow or brown at all. Looked like motorcycles from another dimension although they were cute when they hatched. Next spring at hatching they are meeting with my favorite kitchen gadget: Mr. Kitchen Torch.

Frankly I'm a bit surprised that anyone thinks there are bugs that will not adapt to your zone 10 seeing as how snails from France, honey bees from Europe, ants from Argentina, mantids, Japanese beetles and roaches from Asia have all happily settled in (usually after displacing native species) - o ya, I forgot the foreign fruit flies and the Asian walking stick insects that are eating San Diego. (I hope you invert guys are careful to tell people how to properly dispose of any unwanted potentially invasive "pet" or any substrate possibly containing eggs because the San Diego thing was caused by one kid releasing 2 imported walking sticks into his yard.) Here in GA we now have the marmorated stink bug, the Mexican bean beetle (a vegetarian lady bug) and some new kudzu eating bug both likely from Asia and while the kudzu is actually disappearing so are the crops in the fields.

I also did see some spiders here that looked remarkably like the one in your pic but small enough that I'm not sure of anything beyond the spiky abdomen which I had never seen before. When I lived in SoCal I always had a big (quarter size) green sort of hairy spider that lived in one of my rose bushes and I'd watch it and toss it caterpillars and every year the latest spider would hatch out a big lot of babies which it protected viciously for some time. But then I got pregnant with twins and no spider watching happened that year and there never was another green spider on that bush or anywhere else after that.

I'll let you know if I find any more of those spiky spiders but it's getting on towards frost.

Let me know about the larvae, thanks, Susanne