Giant beetles seized by customs...

[Moltar]

Sorry if this is a repost.

Here's a link to the story on MSN.

I hope the recipient wasn't somebody on these boards cuz I think they're in trouble. Nice lookin beetles though...

 

[Tleilaxu]

What about these beetles makes them so feared. People have been saying they destroy billions of dollars of stuff if they get out. Is their an actual danger with these particular beetles or does the USDA just have a burr in the wrong location?

 

[Galapoheros]

I know what you're saying. Yeah they've thrown the blanket on most everything. I think the weeding out might happen later. But since most just work there and probably don't care about the hobby, they may not get to that. I'm sure there are some cool people there though. Some of these species if not most wouldn't make it through the winter in the US. Then there is the fear of the "unknown". "What thing out of 10,000 are these things carrying over here that might cause a problem" type thing. Haha, I just realized that what I said there makes me sound like one of these guys but I'm cool , I can keep my mouth shut, just give me one of them beetles!

 

[emmille]

it's not a good thing to introduce a certain spp to a new environment (especially if it's not a local specimen) to the fact that they don't have any predator yet which might cause an imbalance to the ecosystem.

 

[echostatic]

wow those are big... ive been wanting those beetles for a long time :/ i didnt know they were banned... i hope they make it off that list. (due to not being a danger )

 

[What]

What about these beetles makes them so feared. People have been saying they destroy billions of dollars of stuff if they get out. Is their an actual danger with these particular beetles or does the USDA just have a burr in the wrong location?

I actually had dinner with an entomologist that works in biological control(toxicology specifically) and I asked a fairly similar question. His answer was that it isnt an actual 'danger' but rather a possibility for an unwanted side effect of the animals normal behaviors. Similar to what happened with cane toads, yes they got rid of the cane beetles in Australia(without the beneficial aspect). They got rid of the cane beetles, but also a lot of other things.

A more tangible example of an introduced beetle that did tons of damage was the Asian Long-horned beetle, or the Emerald Ash Borer. Both of these beetles destroyed millions of trees and took hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars to control.

So in short, yes there is a definite danger that some beetle species pose to the environment and it is safer to ban all imports(w/o permits) than it is to have certain 'allowed' species.

 

[lukatsi]

The beetle on the picture is an Elephant Beetle (Megasoma elephas). Their larvae live only in rotten wood, so I don't think they can be pests, but who knows...
Fortunately here they aren't banned, maybe I can keep them sometime

 

[stablefly]

The problem is that they are blanketing the entire group of Coleoptera as pests. it's a fail safe. prohibit everything and the few suspect pests are kept out. The big issue i have is they way the media twists it into a fear mongering campaign. the statement that Dynastes hercules and Megasoma would cause SEVERE damage if they escaped or were released is laughable at best not to mention saying that they are a major crop pest.

 

[echostatic]

its pretty much impossible to figure out exactly how they would affect the ecosystem, they very well could cause severe damage if they were to make it out into the wild.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

its pretty much impossible to figure out exactly how they would affect the ecosystem, they very well could cause severe damage if they were to make it out into the wild.

The food preference and habitat of Dynastes and Megasoma is well known and it is a fact they pose no threat.

 

[barabootom]

Those large beetles pose no threat to the USA of any kind. They need a long time to mature. They feed on dead wood. They need high humidity and warmth their entire life cycle. However, the importer broke the law and will be in big trouble. The beetles are also protected in their home countries and with rainforests disappearing, probably are in danger as well. The USDA employees are very busy trying to enforce a large number of laws and aren't always experienced beetle identifiers. So everything is blanketed so something unknown doesn't sneak through. Many years ago I received a shipment of large live walkingsticks from Malaysia. I had a permit for males only. The package was inspected by the proper authorities and everything passed no problem. The exporter had promised to ship only males but shipped males and females. The USDA never noticed and forewarded all the females as well a bunch of female 3 inch nymphs. I enjoyed raising the sticks for a couple of years. I had 5 species, all of which are banned now. That was back in the mid 70's.

Some stuff still gets through anyway though. Here is a fellow in Washington State selling phasmid eggs on Ebay. I'm debating on buying some. I know it is illegal to import these but I don't think it's illegal to buy them once they are in the USA. This guy has listed these for months and sold to a dozen people already. The price is low. They cost more in Europe.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=170222298046&Category=31693&_trksid=p3907.m29

Any opinions?

 

[auroborus]

I know that the hercules beetles and there kin don't pose an agricultural threat, but there is a threat of them out competing our local dynastes beetles. Thats the only trouble i could see, but we know if they can survive our winters? But I admit, i would love to have my own D. Hercules beetles, but i doubt i'll ever get them. But I will be hunting for our local D. Tityus :drool:

 

[UrbanJungles]

Some stuff still gets through anyway though. Here is a fellow in Washington State selling phasmid eggs on Ebay. I'm debating on buying some. I know it is illegal to import these but I don't think it's illegal to buy them once they are in the USA. This guy has listed these for months and sold to a dozen people already. The price is low. They cost more in Europe.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=170222298046&Category=31693&_trksid=p3907.m29

Any opinions?

Yes, it is still illegal to possess them without the proper USDA/APHIS permits regardless of whether they were born here or abroad...there is no distinction.
When you get them mailed to you via USPS you will also be breaking a couple of federal laws as well.