"Larvae Fishing"

  A few days ago, I noticed a dozen or more Black Tiger Beetles darting about the sand.  I had taken the old dog down to his "favorite" spot and, as I waited, I critter watched.  These beetles are known as the "fastest beetles in the world"!  In fact, they are so speedy that they can run over 5 1/2mph or 125 times their body length in 1 second!  They dart around catching anything that they can overpower with their powerful mandibles.  Since they eat so many "pest" insects, the Tiger Beetles are considered as beneficial but, watch out, as they will bite humans as well.  Ouch!  The females lay their eggs in the dirt and once they hatch, the larvae dig deep lairs where they will spend a good portion of their lives. 

  Watching the beetles brought back a lot of memories from growing up on the farm.  Not knowing any better, my brother and I would catch the rainbow colored Carolina Tiger Beetles and let them reside in our dirt "houses".  The beetles were our residents as long as we could keep them corralled.  It is funny that I never remember being bitten by an adult beetle.  I also remember catching the larvae of the beetles and making them wiggle their way back into their holes.  This memory triggered a thought.  Could I still fish for the larvae and actually catch one?  I started searching for a "fishing" hole!

  To fish for larvae, one needs fishing gear.  The only thing needed is a long thing grass or straw.  First, find an occupied hole, poke the straw into the hole and feed it as far down as possible.  Make sure to leave about six inches above the ground level so you  have something to grasp while "fishing".  Keep in mind that the holes are sometimes 18 inches (or more) deep so the straw should be quite long or the larva may just pull it in and you will be "gearless".  The fishing trip will be over!  Once you get the straw in place, wiggle it gently until you feel something tug on it.  There is your "bite"!  In one quick movement, whip the straw out of the hole and, if you are lucky, you will have your larva.  Just make sure that with that "whipping" you do not fling the larva on someone as they will receive a pretty nasty bite!  If you were not successful, you can reinsert the straw and try again.  The larva is not going anywhere.  That lair has no back door so the critter will still be there for you to tempt again.   If you do not wish to fling the larva out to parts unknown, let go of the straw and watch the larva push it up and out of the hole.  You will be able to see the flattened head as the larva comes to the opening. 

  Yep, I still had it!  I caught my larva but not before trying a dozen or so times to fling it from its lair. Once, I caught it, the critter was flipped into a plastic container and photographed.  It was not happy being this vulnerable so after a few moments, I tipped the container and let the critter could crawl back into its lair.  Word of caution here.  If you are like me and wish to let the critters live, do NOT put it in a different hole.  Make sure to return the critter to its own lair otherwise it will meet certain death from the resident larva.  The intruding larva will back right into the clutches of the resident larva and become supper. 

  So now you know how farm kids entertained themselves years and years ago.  At the same time, we learned about the critters and learned an awful lot of respect for them.  Just for the record...while I never recall being bitten by an adult Tiger Beetle, I can fully attest that the larva are pretty vicious and their bites are quite painful!