I adore lightening bugs.. is this a common practice? (Johnson City: buying, live)

[Robbied]

Crossville Chronicle, Crossville, TN - "Bounty" on lightning bugs up to $12 an ounce

[TN Tin Man]

WOW Now how cool is that......... Thanks for making my day!!

It's also the state insect !

[alleycat]

Yeah, they've been buying fireflies for years; I think they even did it when I was a kid . . . long, long ago. It takes a whole bunch of bugs to make an ounce however.

[kamoshika]

Originally Posted by Robbied

Crossville Chronicle, Crossville, TN - "Bounty" on lightning bugs up to $12 an ounce

It's also being done in the Tri-Cities; I can recall similar bounties in Kingsport in the late '70s.:

Scientists from Promega Biosciences in San Luis Obispo, Calif., said the insects you catch this summer will be used in food safety testing and to detect contamination of food by bacteria. With outbreaks of E. coli in food, scientists say there is an increased public concern for quick accurate detection of bacteria. The enzyme in the lightning bug lantern is used to address “food fear.”

The insects also are used in research that conducts genetic analysis of changes in DNA in different populations, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, cystic fibrosis and cancer research.
:: Johnson City Press - News :: (http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Detail.php?Cat=LOCALNEWS&ID=63266 - broken link)

[alleycat]

Similar to the use of fireflies, I find it interesting (if not amusing) that the blood of horseshoe crabs are used to test every single IV-type drug put on the market (the FDA requires it, I believe). The crabs' blood clots at the first sign of bacteria, so running the drugs through the "crab test" insure that there's no bacteria present.

[Robbied]

Will the firefly population be wiped out with studies such as these?
I remember many joyful hours catching and releasing them. I wonder if they were put here on earth soley for testing purposes.

In Illinios where I was born and lived , the fireflies are yellow. In Wisconsin where I spent many summers, they are a greenish/blue colored light.

It doesn't sit right with me to see so many people paying for them and using them this way.

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by Robbied

Will the firefly population be wiped out with studies such as these?
I remember many joyful hours catching and releasing them. I wonder if they were put here on earth soley for testing purposes.

In Illinios where I was born and lived , the fireflies are yellow. In Wisconsin where I spent many summers, they are a greenish/blue colored light.

It doesn't sit right with me to see so many people paying for them and using them this way.

I suspect a lot more fireflies are killed by being hit by cars* and other means than from collecting them for research.


*Leading to the well-known expression, "He had that firefly in the headlights look on his face." ;-)

[Robbied]

Originally Posted by alleycat

I suspect a lot more fireflies are killed by being hit by cars* and other means than from collecting them for research.


*Leading to the well-known expression, "He had that firefly in the headlights look on his face." ;-)

and I should not let it ruin my day.
I heard the expression deer in the headlights ..but never firefly.

[Big TR]

Originally Posted by Robbied

and I should not let it ruin my day.
I heard the expression deer in the headlights ..but never firefly.

When we were kids we used to take our whiffle ball bats to them. Once you hit them the bat glowed for a few seconds. Man that was cool.

[Robbied]

Originally Posted by Big TR

When we were kids we used to take our whiffle ball bats to them. Once you hit them the bat glowed for a few seconds. Man that was cool.

interesting..