- The pictures above direct you to the categories of insects. If I were to even ATTEMPT to do them all, I might as well dedicate my life to one section. Sorry, there is a big world out here that I intend to see first.
To navigate this site you simply click on a picture or link to take you to various topics of interest. Although there are millions of varieties of bugs and some are not too interesting or their habits "how do I say it? Worth mentioning?" For this reason, I am only noting a few that I personally find fascinating, beautiful, or those that need to be noted for your own protection.
Bad Bugs
Determining which bug is good or bad is a catch 22. Every insect does something beneficial, but there are just some that can cause humans more harm to focus on than what benefit they may be. For that reason alone I have chosen these bugs that can cause serious pain or harm, "bad bugs".
It may also be to your benefit to learn some basic information on prevention, click here. Or click on the scorpion to see which ones I have chosen for this category and how to avoid them.
Bees
There are hundreds of species of bees here in Guatemala. Many of which are not unique as others so I will only go into detail on a few of them. Click on the image to go there.
Butterflies
Those wonderful, elusive butterflies! Nearly 1,000 identified species here! Fantastic to watch but they were all once just eating machines which are most active in June and July. Devouring every plant that they could just to metamorphose into what we enjoy so much. Now that they have earned their wings their sole mission is to find a place to lay eggs for their next generation of garden terrors. Click on the Blue Morpho to see the ones I have been able to get pictures of and learn more about them.
Dragonflies
There are approximately 3,600 known species of dragonfly in the world. Dragonflies LOVE mosquitoes, gnats, flies, bees and butterflies. OK, so the last one isn't as unliked in that form as the others mentioned! Dragonflies don't bite or sting humans; in fact they should be valued as predators on our side!
Click on the dragonfly to learn more.
Ceiba Borer Beetle
Euchroma gigantea
Fairly abundant in the Rio Dulce area are these beautiful giants. They only feed on fallen trees and therefore help compost them to make the forest floor more fertile. Their buzz may be a little intimidating as it comes near but they are nothing to fear. Click on the image to the left for more information.
Praying Mantis
To other bugs they are mercilous murderers, but for us they clean up SO many insects that we try to get rid of chemically, they are our friends until we inadvertantly kill them with pesticides while trying to get rid of what they haven't feasted on yet.
Tailless Whip Scorpion
Amblypygids are also known as tailless whip scorpions. Even though they are related to scorpions, they are harmless! The name "amblypygid" means "blunt rump", a reference to a lack of the telson ("tail") carried by related species.
Approximately 5 families, 17 genera and 136 species have been described. They are found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Some species are subterranean; many are nocturnal. During the day, they may hide under logs, bark, stones, or leaves. They prefer a humid environment.
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