African Bugs & Critters

---

Okay, so we recently covered flowers... This one is about bugs.

There are too many cockroaches here to tell you about and their numbers seem to be climbing now that the rains are coming. This morning I woke up to find one on his back in the kitchen. He was still alive until I took a flipflop to him. It's just part of the big picture. It doesn't matter how hard you try to keep things clean, they show up... and these ones are big!

Mosquitoes are plentiful as well. I take my malaria medication weekly and so far, everything has been fine. I am sleeping under a mosquito net. With the rains we have been having and we will be getting more, it just makes sense. Using the mosquito net, turning the ceiling fan on high, and shutting the curtains, helps keep them away. They are not driving us crazy now, but the rainy season will be along in March and April, so I can update you then.

Now for the other bugs I have run across on my travels. This idea for taking pictures of the bugs started when the Producer of the series, Josh, and I were sittting around one afternoon on location. The big black thing landed and wouldn't leave. Instead of killing it, we decided to take its picture.... from then I have been hooked on shooting bugs.

Now there aren't as many bug pictures as there were flower pictures, but these ones are pretty cool. My camera, which shoots in High Definition has been able to capture details that you may not see with a regular camera. I am sure most of you will be grossed out, but look at it this way, you only have pictures of them in your house. I get the real thing all the time.

Some are pretty with amazing colours. Some have really cool markings on their backs. Others are pretty... and some are just ugly.

Don't be grossed out. Enjoy the pictures and be grateful that I won't be sending any home as presents.... Maybe.

---

Photos

Nzega Bug
This is the one that started off the collection. Note how his antenae are back.

Nzega Bug 2
Same one with the antennae out. It is sitting on Josh's hand,

Nzega Bug 3
Look at the little suction cups on his feet. Very cool

Itobo Bug
We founfd this little guy in the town of Itobo... Great colours and so delicate.

Another Itobo Bug
This one is just cool. It is sitting on the Amabalis' finger. She is one of the co-hosts of the TV show.

Itobo Bug 3
Itobo is a great town to find bugs. This one landed on my jeans as we were shooting a segment for the show. All production stopped while I got the picture.

Itobo Lizard
Wile I will admit he is not the best looking thing I've seen, the colours are just brilliant. There are tons of these guys running over the huge rocks in the town of Itobo.

Singida Bug
Okay, this one is gross. It was about 2-3 inches long and it landed near our table while eating dinner in Singida. I took the picture and then the waitress killed him.

Singida Spider
I came home one night to my hotelroom to find this one sitting in my shower. If you make a circle with your thumb and forefinger, that was abut the size of him... maybe even a little bigger. He was drowned after I got the picture.

Mkete Butterfly
I will end it on a couple of pretty pictures.... There are tons of butterflies in Tanzania.

Mekete Butterfly 2
Who doen't love a butterfly enjoying a good flower?

Comments

[Jeff]

Bugging out!
Have you seen any poisonous bugs?

[nerene and al]

Bolbo-ceratidae Lawlorus
Better known to the CUSO gang as the "Bobbo"-ceratidae Lawlorus. Those are quite the bugs to be found in Tanzania but who is the real pest? See http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/beetles/bolboceratidae/index.htm

[Deb Brush]

Thank you
Bob... just introduced to your blog... came up on my e-mail. So thank you. Only had a minute before we are off and running on our tame (compared to you) day of school and work. So we looked at the bug pictures. But we plan on catching up reading about your trip... and learning about Africa from your point of view. How cool is that. Maybe Annie can share with her class. Love you and wish you all the adventure you deserve. Stay well and thank you...

[Susan Vernon-Devlin]

I am in a world of bugs myself!!
Hey Bob, what a parallel. Here is the world of PR my largest client is a pest control company Massey Services. They also have photos of bugs on their website and from time to time challenge visitors to identify the bug. Looks like you would need their services in a big way. Your roaches may be German cockroaches, large suckers who can scare the bejesus out of you. Keep taking the photos, and get some mosquito repellant for the upcoming season. If the mosquitoes in Africa are anything like the mosquitoes in Belize they will come at you in swarms to bite and no amount of netting and wind from ceiling fans will divert them from sucking your blood. Happy New Year!

[Tracy Moore]

Itchy!
Dude, your pictures of bugs are making me itchy! But seriously, there are soem beauties in the bunch. Please send me links to your blog whenever you feel so inclined!

[Jeff]

Happy birthday to you...happy birthday to you...
Happy Birthday Bob!