I is for 'Insect Collecting'

Yes! Insect collecting is a hobby. People do collect insects and preserve them in chemical solutions. A former colleague and friend from Hewlett-Packard used to do it. She was even featured in 'The Hindu' for her unusual hobby. She said her parents always told her stories of insects while she grew up, so she did not consider them icky or creepy. Now, I’ve got arachnophobia that’s been passed down from my maternal grandmother, so the thought of collecting any insect gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I do like ladybirds and butterflies although I don’t really want to collect them. Here is an article on ‘How to start a proper insect collection’ from the Internet in case you want to explore your options. If you enter ‘insect collecting supplies' on Amazon, it throws up a list of supplies like ‘insect collecting net’ ‘insect display case’ etc. Maybe once we are rid of COVID -19, you can look it up.  Children interested in science can do it as a school project for their science fair, too.

 My dad says he’d rather watch insects than collect them. He says a lot can be learnt from ants about teamwork. Also, bees are fascinating creatures. We’ve all used the term ‘Queen Bee’ to denote someone in charge. Did you know that there are solitary bees and social bees? Read more about it here. 

Also, Bee Movie was a hit with children when it was released.

Talking of insects reminds me of the book ‘Insects are just like you and me although some of them have wings,’ by Kuzhali Manickavel and released by Blaft Publications. I had reviewed the book on another blog in 2010.

Of course, how can one forget Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’ in which the protagonist Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to find out he has turned into a giant insect! You can read the story for free here - https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200-h/5200-h.htm

  

Maybe the title “Insects are just like you and me although some of them have wings’ isn’t so far from the truth after all :)