Alone one June night in Cusuco National Park, I was tending to three of
the lights my colleagues and I put out to attract jewel scarabs. It was a terrific night
for beetles; I witnessed 200 to 300 of them come pouring down from the sky within an hour.
I was frantically running between the lights picking up handfuls of beetles, who chewed
away at my skin with their sharp claws and spurs. I barely had time to record the sex of
each one before I threw it in my bucket. Being the only one there to see so many beetles
fall from the sky was very exciting. I was truly amazed. |
In the search for more beetles in Cusuco, David Hawks and I went to a
clearing at about 5,900 feet (1,800 meters), where it was bitterly cold and windy. Our
feet and pants were wet from the rain-soaked ground and vegetation. Even with several
layers of clothing, Im extremely intolerant of cold weather. It felt like the
Arctic. To keep our hands warm and to dry our feet, we sat in front of the warm exhaust
from our lights generator. It was such a long, cold, and frustrating night. And to
top it off, we saw very few beetles. I had to ask myself, What am I doing here? |
In Guisayote Biological Reserve a lot of moths were attracted to our
lights. They were everywhere. Some managed to get underneath my eyeglasses. Some even flew
up my nose and into my mouth. I didnt really mind until one night one got in my ear
and wiggled its way almost to my eardrum. I tried and tried to dig it out, but I just
couldnt get to it. Surprisingly there was no pain, just a constant fluttering of
wings. After a sleepless night, I went down to the town of Ocotepeque and saw a doctor,
who was able to flush it out. I was very relieved and thankful. |