Kettering!!!

[James Box]

what a fantastic day that was yesterday
was great to see everyone and meet new people!
the only downside was all the pinned bugs...what the hell is the point of that?
but anyways, it was great catching up with people, in between running round from stall to stall like mad!

i am actually at a point now, where barring the odd imperator or spinnifer scorps, and the odd sling, i've actually got my main wishlist spiders now, and i may leave the wallet at home for BTS!
ie was a VERY productive day yesterday!

Kettering is a lovely town, though a bit eerily quiet, for a Londoner at any rate lol

[Colin D Wilson]

It was a great day for catching up with friends from the forum and meeting new ones i agree.

Only really managed to pick up a couple of spiders for myself and a couple for prezzies.....Grammostola of course.

Shanes well pleased with his new additions of Fire bellied toads and Cockroaches (thanks to James and Oli repectfully)

The BTS is a different scenario for me, as it's more Tarantula specific i'll be taking wallet and chequebook.

[James Box]

glad Shane's happy!

i'm overjoyed with my pair of of H gigas from Colin (saw the girl today!), GBB and crawshayi from Lou, roach and scorp from Oli... not to mention all the purchases:
loads of H incei, though one sadly didn't survive the trip home, beetles, roaches, that amazing T apophysis for £45 bargain that Lou FORCED me to buy, and numerous others!
so glad i booked today off as sorting them all is going to take some time!

[matthew spooner]

wish i could have gone, sounds like it was a good day. still i was thinking of you all sitting here drinking a nice cold beer in lanzarote lol. cant wait for the bts show though, i been saving for ages, i aim on finishing my brachy collection that day

[Claudia Baines]

It was a good event, and it was lovely to speak to everyone. I agree about the pinned bugs - I wasnt expecting them, and it isn't something I like to see - surely that sort of things been illegal since the Victorians managed to wipe out so many species through over enthusiastic collecting? I really can't understand why you'd want a tray full of dead insects - they'd still look better alive!
I have now got my tiny little A. versicolour spiderling from the show, which survived the journey home and it's first night in a new home. I am looking forward to watching it grow up. I've never had a spiderling so small before! I just hope it grows up to be a female unlike the last A.v I had. (sorry guys but you don't last as long!)

[Chris Sainsbury]

the only downside was all the pinned bugs...what the hell is the point of that?

I agree about the pinned bugs - I wasnt expecting them, and it isn't something I like to see - surely that sort of things been illegal since the Victorians managed to wipe out so many species through over enthusiastic collecting? I really can't understand why you'd want a tray full of dead insects - they'd still look better alive!

Hi
Sorry if this comes over the wrong way but, this to me must be the most stupid things to say about an entomological exibition!
Its like me saying after visiting a swimming pool " Well 'I liked it but didn't expect to get wet when I jumped in the water!"

This is after all first and formost what this entomological exibition was set up for and to be honest I am quite suprised they even allow live stuff in!
With so few shows in the UK at the moment I would be thanking these people rather than complaining about them.

BTW I wouldn't mind betting that with the rate of logging in the tropics these days we have destroyed 100 times more species than the Victorians ever did with their butterfly nets.
All the best
Chris

[Louise~Nichols]

It was a fabulous day, and great to see my special buddies again....even if Colin tried to do a *runner* when I first spotted him! LOL Naughty Monsieur Wilson!!

And I did indeed torture James into buying the Apophysis...twisted his arm up his back and forced him to make the purchase! But it was funny...and James, it was lovely to see you and your mum (she's brilliant), thanks so much for the nymphs...they're pigging out on orange slices as I type.

Big thanks to Oli also (and lovely to meet your dad, he's a real laugh)...the Lividum is so sweet, feeding and very easy going when I repotted her. Scorplings are also munching like demons, and the hisser nymphs have made themselves at home...so much cuteness!

Mustn't forget Mary...who spoiled me ridiculous!! Thanks so much...the Macs, Irminia, *Mystery* (as she is now named!!), and the O.Aureo are all absolutely magic. I nearly fell over in shock when you handed that box over Mary, and wonderful to catch up with you and Trev again...we will get him to relent on sweet lil yellow wrigglers!! hehehe

Yvonne...hope you're okay today and that the show didn't drain you too badly...it was lovely to see you there, and I hope your new spids are settled and munching.

And for everyone who I've missed out on the list, my brain is still in sieve mode, but it's always lovely to see the faces behind the names online.

So my verdict: a lovely day out, muchly hugs, fun and mischief got committed, and I now have the P.Subfuscas that I wanted (thank you Leeeeeeee!!)...as well as ummm...another 29 new spids on top of that!! Bring on the BTS show!! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again.

[SylviRigden]

Wow, you've all had a really good time! That does it! Julie and I will go to Kettering next year as well, we feel left out! Hell we had better go to the Bug Fest in Somerset too.

[Andrew Ferguson]

It sounds like it was a good show. I can't make any until Newark in Dec. I cannot see myself getting to BTS, although my suggestion of taking my son for his birthday (18th May as well!) didn't go down too well!
Hopefully by then, some GBB slings or juveniles will be available. Doesn't seem many to be around at the moment.

[mary walters]

It was a smashing day, we came back with a load of pressies, males on loan, and actually bought 2 crawshyi slings and a pair of jumpers.

It was great to see Lou and all the gang again, and Lou, Trev will get used to wrigglers in the house, trust me, He has held Bubbles, only once but it's a start lol.

I hope you are feeling better today Yvonne xxxxx


Oh and Chris, you are spot on mate

[Steve McIntyre]

Hi Everyone, nice to see faces old and new yesterday. Had a great time, actually made some money for a change, and didn't buy a single spider but 4 tubs of stickies! The journey was long but always worth it to spend time talking with like minded (Crazy) people. See you all at the BTS Show next month. I'm drooling just thinking about it! Don't forget my Cambridgeis, Mary, will you!

[Louise~Nichols]

It was a smashing day, we came back with a load of pressies, males on loan, and actually bought 2 crawshyi slings and a pair of jumpers.

It was great to see Lou and all the gang again, and Lou, Trev will get used to wrigglers in the house, trust me, He has held Bubbles, only once but it's a start lol.

I hope you are feeling better today Yvonne xxxxx


Oh and Chris, you are spot on mate

Mary...hehehe...we'll keep up the pressure!! Now that Trev's had one hold of Bubbles, he'll soon be at it regularly!!

Steve...crazy people...where were they? Did I miss some fun? LOL

[James Box]

Chris, while you make some valid points there, it doesn't answer my question: what is the point of pinning bugs? great, so they "allowed" us to have some live stuff there, and provided a venue to meet up, which is great. not "complaining", as you say, about that! and i also wasn't "surprised", as i knew what sort of show it was.
however, not all entomologists are into pinning, for instance i talked with a chap who has raised loads of moths and butterflies from eggs through to the last stage, and repeated the cycle...surely that's more satisfying than someone sticking a framed load of dead bugs on his wall? even photography would be better than that
just seems a bit, well, pointless... if you see my point

[Yvonne Woolley]

Fantastic Day!!!!

Thanks so much for the hugs,bugs and Ts & Spiders
What a fantastic day!!! Thank you Lou &Family for no 5 and Humbug both are fine and feeding(Humbug is totaly nuts we love to watch her i think she is crossed with some sort of earth mover) as she is now moved into a tank the same size as the container that she was in but she has decided to move everthing around to where she wants it and has us in stitches watching her. and No5 has tacken a piece of cricket so all fine thanks again, We will return the container back to you at The BTS next month.
Likewise James I have rehoused the Bogensis slings and will return your tubs, I managed to get a fruit fly culture these seemed to be smaller than the Micro Crickets so all i can do now is hope for the best as i can barely see them even with my specs LOL. It was nice to meet your Mum will she be going to the next one? I finished up with a Brachypelma Vagans, A Pair Grammostola North oh yes and some sort of Striped Millipede(is that how you spell it?) got to find out more about it could not resist it thanks to Shane LOL. Really enjoyed meeting you all again and allready looking forwards to the BTS in May.Thank you Mary and Lou and family for the fantastic hugs, It was worth the journey and more just for them!!!!!!!!! Hugs back to all.

[Colin D Wilson]

Just to put things into a little propsective, before the debate ensues

Untill very late last century the entomological shows and exhibits were mainly for Coleopterists (beetles) and Lepidopterists (butterflies and Moths) to sell and buy insects either already pinned or ready for pinning.
I remember these shows quite vividly and have had a little collection myself.

Live goods were frowned upon in the earlier years (which is the point Chris is making) and it was in the later shows were ooths / eggsacs / lavae were allowed to be sold so the buyer could rear the animal to what ever stage in the life cycle they wanted for their displays.

Nowadays the roots of the entomological shows are still there (i.e pinned / display) but the recently the "new" aspect of the hobby (i.e. keeping as pets / breeding) has become foremost.

There are now dedicated show (The BTS expo for an example) where the sale of live goods is first and foremost, even then you will find the odd stand or table where there will be some dead / moults pinned and framed as this is still all part of the hobby (all be it a small part)

The rights and wrongs / pros and cons / environmental issues of all this wil still be a strong point for discussion.
I think, even in the distant future, you should always expect to see pinned at any entomological show (people still collect)