Bug Smugglers

I disagree with the argument that tropical species should be allowed in temperate areas where they can't survive. There are many other factors to consider with the possibility of escapes. If tropicals are brought to this country, they would probably be flown in. What happens when these sexually reproducing tropical walkingsticks escape in an airport or on a plane? They could potentially spread to countless tropical areas from these airports in the same way that brown tree snakes have island-hopped across the pacific to decimate island bird populations. You can argue that this is unlikely, but you can't say it's impossible.

My feeling is, when you consider the risks (irreparable ecosystem damage) vs. the benefits (the chance to raise and study these fascinating animals), then it is always better to err on the side of caution.

Yes, that is most certainly true. However, many of the damaging invasives were not introduced on purpose..but hitched a ride in timber shipments, shipments of fruit, etc. IMHO time and regulations would be better spent on these items(not saying they haven't done what they could). Major difference is that this stuff, unlike insects, actually has a commercial value to it.

Species with a tendency to become pests are usually not what hobbyists are interested in. Their are many species that have been introduced that have not become invasive in that sense of word(example...in Hawaii the frog Dendrobates auratus is introduced. So is the coqui frog and the greenhouse frog. The former has not become much of a problem, that latter two have. The former was introduced for mosquito control...the other two introduced unintentionally. Of course, hobbyists are interested in the former species. While I'm sure D. auratus could be wiped off Hawaii and Hawaii might be better for it...efforts are best concentrated on figuring out how to deal with the latter two species.)

I still feel that careful screening of species imported should be the answer.

For example...suppose someone wishes to import Dynastes hercules from Central America and Antheraea pernyi from China. The former could be studied and I'm pretty sure they'd only find reason to ban it in Hawaii and Fl. The latter, however, would IMO pose a threat since it is similar to Antheraea polyphemus and could survive in more temperate areas.


If done correctly, I believe the benefits(though admittantly rather small) would outweight the potential risks. Keep in mind that what would likely happen is that they would be imported only once and breeding would sustain the US population. Pressure on wild populations could be kept minimal by farming these insects which would bring income into local communities(already being done to supply insect collectors).

I agree that individual screening of species would be ideal, but it would obviously take a very long time. In the interim, there seem to be two general strategies to follow. The laws could ban everything at first, and then remove species from the blacklist as they are studied and cleared. Or they could ban nothing and allow a free-for-all, and then ban pest species as they are identified.

The problem with the former strategy is that it is frustrating to hobbyists and experts who know much more about these animals than the politicians ever will.

The problem with the second strategy is that many possible pest species would only be identified after they are loose and it is already too late.

I'll take the former.

I'd definetly take the former providing certain species are studied and removed from the blacklist. The USDA doesn't necessarily need to be using its own funds to study species itself.

That's an important provision. Perhaps I'm being too idealistic in my thinking. It's entirely possible that many blanket bans stay in place despite research and evidence to the contrary (like the white-eyed assasins). Nonetheless, I still feel that the bans are the lesser of two evils in this situation.

Does anyone know of any examples of formerly-banned bugs being cleared for import?

anyone know the story behind hissing roach legalization in most states? I even heard you don't need a USDA permit for interstate shipping of this species. How come Madagascan hissers are so widespread and accepted as part of the pet trade and the beetle(which IMHO is about a similar risk level if not lower) is not? Changed times?

And naturally, hissing roaches have been running around in the pet trade and many people realize that not all roaches are necessarily icky...some can be quite fascinating. Try to explain that one while holding one of the kind you can find in most areas of the US.

However they dont care what the hobbyist thinks and they often try to pass laws under the radar as well. The USDA would rather just blanket ban everything then spending time and effort to do studies and case by case basis.

Look at the glib responce from someone involved in banning insect importations. "Why not just get some natives?"

How irritating.

It takes more than time and effort to study inverts on a case by case basis. It takes a lot of money, especially when there are hundreds of thousands of cases to be studied. And that money comes from your taxes. I'm know a couple of people who work for the USDA, and they would be happy to study each insect in turn if we are all happy with a 60% income tax.

I know it's frustrating, but unfortunately, the USDA is part of the government, and as I'm sure we all know, scientific rigor is not a high priority for the current administration. Blanket bans are indeed irritating to some hobbyists, but they are not an example of laziness on the part of the USDA scientists, but an example of political expediency by the people who actually pass the laws.

As for passing laws "under the radar", that can't be blamed on the USDA either. Call your congressman.

But there are cases where they HAVE the data and ignore it, again the whitespot assassin bug. Its hunting habits pose NO threat to the bee industry, yet that is the reason they are banned, they cite a major threat to the bee industry. Again very dumb considering this species live and hunts UNDER ROCKS and LOG. Now if honeybees are foraging fort nectar under rocks and logs then maybe they have some point but I dont recall honeybees behaving in that manner.

I see your point about maintaining bans for spurious reasons. But in this case, I think they are doing the right thing while giving the wrong reason. Introducing a predator like the assassin bug is a terrible idea. I don't care if they never ate a single bee, assassins would wreak havoc on native species wherever they got out into the wild. It seems like the bee argument is an attempt to put an economic stimulus behind a ban that is primarily ecological in focus. It's stupid and inaccurate, but they're doing the right thing.

I'd like to reiterate a point made earlier that people like you and me are not the cause for concern. Responsible collectors are probably going to be careful and avoid any unintentional introductions. But if these bugs are released into the pet trade, every yokel and yahoo who wants a conversation piece can get one, get tired of it, and throw it out into the backyard.

Just because it is in the US doesn't mean it will have to appear in every petstore for every person to have a chance at buying. I don't even think we could make that happen. The nature of these animals would likely mean that they'd circulate in small numbers with enthusiasts similar to the way many tarantulas etc. are right now. The pet trade problem comes when massive numbers(for example the Chilean rose hair or the emperor scorpion)are imported to satisfy a demand that is not quite there(most all tarantulas that you here stories of getting dumped are rose hairs).

~Joseph

As someone involved in regulating pet arthropods, not to mention invasive exotics, I too do not trust the USDA to properly regulate inverts -- they are NOT strict enough.

No one can GUARANTEE that these creatures will not become pests if they do get away. While there seem to be few cases of pet arthropods become pests (there are a few though), there are so many that have been introduced unintentionally that I can't see how anybody can defend introducing them on purpose. Although pet arthropods don't seem to have caused major problems -- YET -- the same cannot be said about pet vertebrates and aquarium plants. Do a little reading and find out the impact of escaped pets just on the state Florida. If there is one thing that can be guaranteed about pet owners it is that their pet WILL escape.

Look, I'm glad you've got a hobby you enjoy, but why don't you learn to rear some native arthropods and actually contribute something to the knowledge of their biology?

Hello Mike.

Wow, cool to see someone actually involved in this process posting.

I definetly agree with the problems involving pet vertebrates and plants. However, pet vertebrate problems have so far been relatively small in number and could have been stopped beforehand. Simply put, many species that were allowed into Florida should NOT have been. Aquarium plants is the same way. That is why I could see the arthropod hobby starting off on a correct foot.

I would wholeheartedly support the ban of keeping most exotic species in Florida and Hawaii. And I'm certainly not reccomending laxing of the regulations. I would think that any species planned to be released into the pet trade would have its life history studied thoroughly beforehand.

Native species are great. Much can be and has been learned by hobbyists keeping them in captivity. But the same can be said for exotics.

I still haven't heard from anyone on the ambassador comment.

Why dont you compare the USA natives to their exotic counterparts and answer that question. (Example Wheelbug vs Whitespot assassin Emperor scorpion vs Arizona hairy scorpion. USA miliepedes to the giant millipedes ect ect.)

90 percent of natives are boring as heck, poorly colored, unimpressivly sized, or just a major pain to raise.
As for contributing to their knowlege I have a 14 page article on the care of North American Polistes wasps in captivity that will be published in June.

Tell that to Tom Eisner! Though I suppose he has had the benefit of biochemical assays and graduate students to dig deep enough to find the amazing in the "mundane."

Where is your Polistes paper going to be published? I'd love to see it.

http://www.angelfire.com/oh3/elytraandantenna/

You need to suscribe to Invert Magazine. It will be published in chunks due to its size.

another problem. Natives unless they occur in your state and you can get them yourself have just as many regulations...and for good reason.

Answer what question? Pose one.

This was your question that I answered:

"why don't you learn to rear some native arthropods and actually contribute something to the knowledge of their biology?"

That is the thing. Currently no real legal means unless you are a zoo or museum.

Considering hissing roaches and similar are common in the pet trade, I don't think the beetles are going to be much different. It is true that many are in it for the money but I think that their is overall a positive benefit when an animal is introduced(in an environmentally sound way) into the trade. Specimens kept and studied in people's homes do a better job as ambassadors than all the photos, pinned, and (yes) live specimens in museums could ever do. I'd bet many a family would get interested in these beetles after seeing and caring for them in person, and be more conscious about the plight of the ecosystems such marvelous animals come from.

~Joseph

Well said, Sharon and/or Bill! If you want to keep exotic species, go to the USDA and get a permit!

What caught my eye is that these little guys were shipped from Taiwan and labeled by gender, so they were possibly intended for fighting. Despite the connotations, I think beetle jousting is a very amusing pastime (though I have never tried it myself). And fighting beetles are typically very well taken care of.

To keep them legally but the USDA makes it way to hard and EXPENSIVE for the average hobbyist to do.

they probably could survive here...and destroy billions of dollars worth of crops & whatever else they go after...it would be an awesome pet but I would rather have them out of the country. Got to agree with E Moon, glad they were caught.

They are a rainforst species that would not survive heere and they need rotting wood inorder to reproduce.

The only threat is the fact that they could potentially outcompete our native dynastis but this is unlikely since they need stable warm conditions throughout their lifecycle.

And this attitude is exactly why we have invasive undesirable but "interesting" critters and plants in this country, where on the whole they survive quite well as soon as they get loose, which inevitably some of them do.

include the importation of parasites and/or pathogens (some human) along with the critters for the pet trade. Also, for each organism that survives to be sold, many more do not live through the shipping process, commercial collection can adversely impact wild populations.

I gotta say I am on the middle road here.

Relatively few species(of insects/arthropods) have been introduced by the pet trade compared to, say, bringing in plants and stocking programs by DFG.

These beetles are K-strategists that feed on decaying wood, not living trees. Tropical too. I don't believe this is something we need to worry about. They'd be great for educational displays/people interested in beetles and IMHO be less of a risk than the native Dynastes in regards to introduction(suppose some petkeeper had escapee D. granti in the range of tityus or vise versa).

I don't trust the bug hobby to regulate itself and think that the USDA should legalize species on a case by case basis. Example: I've heard of people in the USA keeping (extra legally) species of African armored crickets which are pests in their homeland and bragging you had to use a brick to squash them. Gee, I'd love having those coming to a petstore near me. I also wouldn't support the importation of, say, certain moths from China which are commonly kept in Europe.

Nevermind

Never hurts to bring up this kind of topic. Made me re-evaluate my own attitudes about the pet trade vs. scientific importation.