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Sarasota News Leader April 5, 2013 Page 74 moth to a flame. That is why you discovered the vanilla extract one buys at supermarkets. your bug on your condo's walkway, rather The true insect extract is saved for true gourmets, who will pay dearly for it. than near a pond. Wiki also states, "Lethocerous makes a fascinating aquarium pet, creating little waste and preferring inherently to feed on small crustaceans and feeder shrimp rather than more valuable aquarium fare. However, when choosing to care for a Lethocerous/Lethoceri one must be sure that the aquarium lid is com".... the hemipterist William Blatchley wrote pletely secure with no room for the insect to in l926: 'When electric street lights were first escape (as Lethocerous has the ability to fly)." installed our larger species [Lethocerus a.] Well, "duh," of course we knew it could fly! were attracted to them by the hundreds, and Here's a fun link to a blog site about a family for the first time the average human learned that actually did take it in as a pet. The photos that such bugs were denizens of the earth ... and descriptions, particularly those of Letho and their uncouth shape and sprawling moinjecting its venom into a goldfish, bring to tions, when on the ground beneath the lights, mind the phrase, "A picture is worth a thouusually cause him to regard them with a holy sand words." So, see for yourself what Letho terror." is all about and then decide if you really want Here is a fascinating description from Florida's Fabulous Insects. It is a fun book with gorgeous photos and interesting reading for the layman, as are all in that series of Florida's Fabulous, sold at Davidson's Drugs, local bookstores and tourist shops: Imagine coming home and finding hundreds to keep one in your home! of them crawling about the stoop under your Not that anyone asked, but my overall thought porch light! Yummy! on this pet idea is that it would be cruel to Yes! Letho's family members are considered a keep this specimen and deprive me and every scrumptious delicacy in almost every country insect-eating (entomophagic) bird and animal outside of North America and Europe, where of the chance to savor its flavor and benefit entomophagy is pretty much taboo, except for from its nutrients, as well deprive Letho of the the occasional fly in one's soup. They are eat- chance to be a parent and spawn hundreds more mosquito larvae-eating wee ones. But, en deep-fried, sautéed or steamed. it is your call of the wild! Besides that, in Vietnam and Thailand, for example, the essence extract from the male Thank you for Franz's superb photo and the Letho pheromones is added to various dipping opportunity to discuss this truly unusual Florisauces for rice noodle rolls or it is added to da-friendly native bug. As for your submission a chili sauce used as a condiment. Readers, to What's That Bug? let me say that you will please do not worry that you will encounter probably hear back from it at some point. The this extract at Sarasota's ethnic restaurants! website is staffed by exceedingly knowledgeIts cost is so prohibitive that most of the es- able volunteers who dedicate so much of their sence on the market is imitation, rather like free time to helping people ID bugs. It is sim-