@tippitiwichet I wonder how difficult it will be to set up having my skeleton made into a Halloween decoration after I'm done using it...
@AskTheDevil If you look into the legalities of it, I will willingly mold a clay made with your ashes mixed into it into a mold that I grow moss and sundews on.
@tippitiwichet Oooo. Predatory plants!
I think my family would like to keep the bones as bones, though.
@AskTheDevil Well then. I've always wanted to raise those beetles that clean bones, again, hit me up.
@tippitiwichet @AskTheDevil ooh, yes! dermestids are fun. i lost my colony when we had a power outage. they can't deal with cold at all. i want to get more but they're expensive. pretty easy to find at taxidermy supply places though
@redenigma @tippitiwichet I had a hard time getting them to survive in Florida, even! They're very tightly adapted to their niche, and need a lot of TLC if you keep them.
@AskTheDevil the house has carpet beetles, which are the same family. not sure what those are eating since i don't have carpets. i do find them in the litter boxes once in a while
@redenigma @AskTheDevil I've thought before of finding wild ones. In specific, I thought of setting up wire mesh they can get through around some meat outside, and putting my camcorder on the time lapse function for the meat, but gathering some apparent beetle larvae for other time lapse decay projects. I may have some disgusting footage of a watermelon left on my porch from a similar project.
@tippitiwichet @redenigma Not enough people appreciate weird little critters!
@AskTheDevil @redenigma And it's so sad, because it's the weird little ones who are the most fascinating.
@tippitiwichet @redenigma I'm a fan of earwigs.
@AskTheDevil @tippitiwichet earwigs are really fascinating creatures
@redenigma @tippitiwichet They are! They look creepy to most people, but they're beneficial insects and completely harmless to humans.
If you look really close, they're teeny faces are pretty cute, too.
@AskTheDevil @redenigma I used to have macro footage of one I found in a flower, but I promised myself I wouldn't turn on the computer again tonight. Not sure if I still have it.
@tippitiwichet @AskTheDevil we still have burying beetles/sexton beetles around the yard. apparently they are becoming increasingly uncommon, as people use lawn chemicals, but they're really cool
@redenigma @tippitiwichet I used to occasionally find scarab beetles down in Florida, and I've seen them in Arizona also.
Those are beautiful.
But I also like the funny ugly little critters.
@AskTheDevil @tippitiwichet i found this in the road, so i moved it to a safer location. it's a scarab beetle, i think Onthophagus orpheus.
@redenigma @tippitiwichet Aren't they splendid! Thank you for assisting the beetle!
@AskTheDevil @tippitiwichet i found one of my burying beetle photos
@AskTheDevil @tippitiwichet and this public service announcement
https://www.savethelittlebugs.org/
@redenigma @AskTheDevil Oooh, so pretty!
Oh gawd, please don't encourage @AskTheDevil 😁
@see_the_sus @AskTheDevil Am I encouraging them, or are they encouraging me? 'Cause my desire for pet flesh eating beetles was almost put to rest.
@tippitiwichet @see_the_sus Ha ha! Maybe it is mutual.
By the way, a word about Bob. Bob is no mere Halloween decoration. They are a replica. A look at their teeth shows this is the casting of someone who has donated their body for art and science, to educate us, to give us something to hold of the true structure within us. I love that Bob will celebrate Halloween with me. I should put candy in their mouth.