Got Bugs?!

C

Craig Gottlieb

Joined
Mar 8, 1999
Messages
1,760
Okay, so I got hit with sheath bugs today. Was sending out a bunch of WWIIs, and I picked one off the rack, turned it upside down to knock out any dirt in the scabbard, and - the scabbard fell out - in tiny little dust bits
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I checked the others and the infection fortunately hadn't spread. So now I know what you guys talk about when you say you have sheath bugs. If I can find one of the bugs, I'll kill it, scan it, and post it.

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
Craig,

You'll have to give us the recipe once you get done with the killing, scanning and posting. How are you going to cook it. I suggest sauted in garlic and butter
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Rick
 
Maybe some fava beans and a nice Chianti?
FthFthFthFth!

Khukuri Weavle? Should that be what we name this bug?

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
Hi Craig
Sorry to hear you're having the same problem that I posted recently. My Service No.1 scabbard had been in the deep freeze for 10 days, but came out yesterday looking no worse for the experience, after I'd put it in there following the appearance of little holes with wood dust round them.
I'm going to let it get back to room temperature for the next few days, but as yet there are no signs of any more holes or dust and I would imagine any bugs are well and truly deep-frozen. If any dead bugs fall out, I'll also try to scan them and compare them with anything you find. When I'm sure that the little xxxxxx's are dead, I'll put some quality leather dressing on the buffalo leather - and then wait........and hopefully no more little holes with dust round them. I'll keep you posted.....
Kind Regards,
Nick.
 
Sounds like an excellent idea you had - I wonder why I didn't have the same. Did you put it in a ziplock? I think I may do that. In fact, since this scabbard is far gone, I may freeze it, then take it apart to fnd the bugs.

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
This is all too funny, but also serious. I'm going to see if I have that sheath still, and then maybe mail any bug I can find to a bugologist for analysis. If anybody finds a bug before I do, can you mail it to me?


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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
I'm going to see if I have that sheath still, and then maybe mail any bug I can find to a bugologist for analysis.
Click to expand...

Hi Craig,

While I'm not a "bugologist" (i.e. an entomologist specialising in South Asian beetles), I have some experience with identifying insects. I think I can give it a first try and send it on to specialists if deemed necessary. Just put the little critters in a microwave before sending them off to me...

Best wishes,
kai
 
My wife is an entomologist and could help, too, if you need. The hard part will be keying it down to the species name. If they're really small you can put them in a vial with rubbing alcohol.

I've never heard of the microwave technique. Kai, how long do you put them in for? I once heard if you put flies in the microwave they pop.

[This message has been edited by OMRie (edited 07-31-2000).]
 
Following on from your last comment Craig, so far no sign of any dead bugs having fallen out of the holes, after coming out of the freezer. Yes, I put the scabbard in a zip-lock plastic bag and extracted as much air as possible from the bag prior to sealing it. So far no signs of any life since it came out of the freezer and no apparent degradation of the leather on the scabbard. I'll let you know if there are any developments.
Kind Regards,
Nick.
 
Very cool.
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No signs of bugs in my dead sheath either. Oh well. Hey - I'll write Lalit and see if he knows the name of these bugs.

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
It's now a week further on since the scabbard came out of the freezer and I've filled the holes and 'fed' the leather and it looks as good as the day it arrived Craig.
All the bugs seem to be well and truly dead, but none of them came out in the zip-lock, so I doubt if I'll ever know what they look like.
It seems to have been the right thing to do and there is no apparent frost damage to the leather - so if any of you forumites get bugs - freeze the little varmints!
All the best,
Nick.
 
Maybe there's more than one cure for the sheath bugs. Pending new info, the freezing method sounds like it worked. Extreme cold might be the preferred method for the eggs, and insulation from the thin sheaths might be inadequate to protect the critters from a lethal treatment of frostbite.

The little varmints' powdered holes appeared in June on #2 son's mini-jungle sheath (bought in April). My treatment of choice was to empty the contents of a Hot Shot fogger into an open container after releasing the can pressure. All the sheaths went into a big Zip-Loc bag with the juice for a week. The smell had gone (perhaps the propellant?) by this time, and as of today there is still no sign of bug activity.

Unless there were more eggs or the incubation time is longer than 2 months, it may be safe to say the bug casualties were 100%.

Many thanks to all who contributed to the project. BTW--is there any more follow-up data on the cure rate?!

[This message has been edited by Lt. Dan (edited 09-01-2000).]
 
I've never heard of the microwave technique. Kai, how long do you put them in for? I once heard if you put flies in the microwave they pop.
Click to expand...

Uups, sorry for being absent from bladeforums for a while...

Fresh flies and other fleshy organisms will pop but most small bettles have a thick enough chitin skin to prevend this (especially if dead and already dried a bit). Actually, I wasn't too concerned with perfect preservation (bits & pieces should be fine for the purpose, too) but more interested in making it really sure to avoid spreading any exotic bug...
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Alcohol is fine for preserving small insects but makes international shipping difficult and expensive (leaking, breakage, etc.).

BTW, herbaria which have a lot of experience on hunting down a wide variety of exotic bugs usually prefer to keep the samples at about 55 degrees Celsius for several days (just from the top of my head - I'd need to check out the details again) since this even kills off eggs of freeze-resistent insects. Ziplock bags would be certainly good to prevent the wood from overdrying...

Best wishes,
kai
 
We've all been a little absent lately
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As for the bugs, I never did get a dead specimen. Anybody else have any luck?



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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
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