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ravel

Hi everyone,

Perhaps my oddest question...YET. Does anyone know where I can find an insect collection, better yet a place that sells insects individually and unmounted. I have seen the mounted butterflies around, but someone in Osaka must be connected with the entomology crowd, I have found some amazing sites online for insects, mounted and unmounted, but none in Japan ....on the English internet. I am hoping especially to find the Japanese giant wasp, but most ideally a place that sell bugs from everywhere in the world. I have thought about ordering them online but from another country being former life forms this could prove to be an issue. I have been to the Osaka museum of natural history and they have a great museum collection, but noe for sale. I Contacted someone at the Osaka prefecture university in entomology, but they may or may not speak English or have time to deal with strangers looking for insects. Any suggestions?

Thanks
ravel

madeira · Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 182 Location: Oppama

No truly useful info here, but now is a good time to catch your own giant hornet. I have a few trees that they swarm this time of year. (Quinces... they chew at the trunks, not sure if it's for the bark/sap or some insect under it.) The problem will be catching one in a way the others don't notice.

Tokyu Hands has pretty much everything, and they sell live beetles, so they might be a good place to ask about collections for sale.

ravel · Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:35 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the info which by the way is useful:-) What area of Japan do you like/ am I likely to find these monsters. I know they scout out bee hive to eradicate as solos so if I can find one of them the bees would love me and it would be alone. I don't know their range, though I have been told they are north of me (Kansai).

scorchio · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 36 Location: Sydney

I don't really know if they have insect collections for sale, but there is an insect museum at Minoo Quasi National Park. About 25 mins from Osaka on the Hankyu Line (to Minoo station).

ravel · Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:06 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the info I will go check it out.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Never seen em on sale in Japan myself... But I DID see TONS of em in the street markets of Bangkok.

If it's important enough to you, I suppose you could fly to Thailand on a weekend and pick one up.... Razz

madeira · Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 182 Location: Oppama

Ravel, I'm in London now, so I can't help with the hunt. My house is in Yokosuka, and you are pretty much guaranteed to see giant hornets if you walk through the woods there. I think they're all over Kanto. (I thought they were all over Japan, but maybe not..?)