Happy 2025?

I am not sure that I have ever had less enthusiasm for an incoming new year than I have for this one. It seems rather silly, though, that I don’t have more excitement and positive anticipation. I already have virtual and in-person presentations on the horizon (book me now!), plus a Coldplay concert to look forward to. I even have a new passport, so can leave the country if I want.

What is the future of Bug Eric blog? I am seriously entertaining the idea of moving it to either Substack or Patreon. I will need to take my writing more seriously, if so, posting with definite regularity to meet the expectations of paying subscribers. Would I even have subscribers?

While I would prefer not to charge my readership, I must increase my income. This is especially true now that Social Security and Medicare are under attack from the incoming presidential administration. I may not have the “entitled” income and health benefits that I was expecting at my advancing age. I also need to value my work in the economic sense.

As for other projects, I have ideas for at least three more major works. One of those is a fictional piece that seems to want to be a play or screenplay. I keep “seeing” it as being performed, anyway. I would like to collaborate with others, as the current storyboard looks like an exploding star. It is not even linear. Ha! If done right, it could win all the things, including hearts and minds, I think.

None of my future book ideas have anything to do with insects except, perhaps, tangentially. This represents a huge risk since I am the “bug guy” by reputation. I cannot, however, ignore the greater problems surrounding how human beings impact the natural world, and each other. That isn’t a calling as much as a demand for my perspectives and experiences to be shared.

From the aspect of my mental and social health, I am becoming progressively more isolated. There is hardly anyone in my small town that I have even remote interest in spending time with. There are too many people older than I am, politically conservative, religious, unhappy, unhealthy, or all of the above. When I do venture out of the house, it is for an exercise walk, to run an errand or two, or hike by myself in a nearby wooded park. That is it. I thrive on the company of younger people, and that seems impossible here.

Even social media has lost most of its appeal. I left Twitter/X in the end-of-the-year mass exodus, and opted for Bluesky, the popular new alternative. I have enjoyed it so far. Facebook is in decline, with its near total emphasis on commercialization, and a newly-announced commitment to more AI (Artificial Intelligence) content, including artificial users. Actual, human Meta users are aging, and there is simply not the energy there used to be. I may have to learn Tik Tok if I want to stay relevant, and if that China-based platform is not outlawed.

There is no way I can continue suffering a lack of in-person contact, though. I am not suicidal, but as one Bluesky account put it, some days “I can’t life anymore.” The bigger cities of Kansas City and Overland Park are so close, yet so far away, and not really affordable.

Please let me know if you would pay to read more regular posts on Patreon or Substack, and under what circumstances/incentives. If you have suffered social isolation, how have you overcome it?

Thank you, as always, for your loyalty in following me, donating to this Blogger blog, and otherwise lending your support….Now, if I can just turn myself into a cat, I could lounge all day long, and have thousands more followers on Bluesky. Goals!

About the Calendar Photo: This calendar was purchased from melbry//arts. Melissa Bryant does brilliant and important work. Please support her efforts. Thank you.

The Bigger Picture

It occurs to me that my vision for this blog, and audience expectations, may be somewhat divergent, and neither as easy to meet and execute as I would like. The world is changing rapidly, and, if anything, I feel myself slowing down. Allow me to posit some ideas for how to solve all of this.

Entomology in context: a firefly on a farm in western Massachusetts

Most days, it is a struggle to do much of anything, least of all writing. I find a “what’s the use?” mentality creep in. There is no question, in my mind, that insect abundance and diversity has markedly declined in the last decade. In the field I have to work harder just to find species that were once common. Consequently, I do not have photos of many species I would like to write blog posts about. Even supposedly common household pests like spider beetles, Cigarette Beetle, and Drugstore Beetle, I have yet to see. I have encountered a grand total of one (1) Blacklegged (deer) Tick, and got horrible photos.

:My only respectable photo of a Blacklegged Tick

My first ask is whether those of you who are photographers would be willing to share your images with me to build stories around. Not only is it a matter of simply depicting a given species, but also illustrating its behavior. Looking at posts on social media, many of my friends and followers have captured some truly unique species and various aspects of their life histories. Do not be shy. Please contact me (see below) if you want to share your work through this blog.

Courtship of Cyrtopogon robber flies captured by my wife, Heidi

My e-mail often receives unsolicited offers to “guest post” on my blog, and I always turn those away. On occasion I have asked colleagues for permission to re-post something they have written in social media, a publication, or their own blog. My standards are pretty high, and this blog is a promotional device for no one. I am now re-thinking this a little.

Entomology has historically been inextricably entangled with colonialism, sexism, and racism. What we know of tropical species has been a product of white explorers, missionaries, and others who exploited indigenous peoples without giving fair credit and compensation. The specimens collected were deposited almost exclusively in museums in Europe, and later in the U.S. and Canada. Meanwhile, female entomologists, and non-Caucasian entomologists, have suffered for proper recognition, funding, and academic promotions.

This blog can be a vehicle for changing some of this. I hereby extend an invitation to women, indigenous persons, and all other non-white persons in entomology, to propose one or more guest posts for the Bug Eric blog. You need not be employed as an entomologist. You can be an enthusiastic amateur, a general naturalist, or someone who simply witnessed or recorded some arthropod-related experience that stuck with you. Maybe it is your child who is crazy about “bugs.” Let me hear about it. I still reserve the right of refusal, but I assure you I am serious about broadcasting voices previously muted by establishment authority figures. Op-ed pieces are also welcome.

Myself with one of my first mentors, Jim Anderson, circa 1971

Lastly, this blog is in dire need of solution-oriented content. How do we avert an “insect apocalypse?” How do we overcome the inertia of the lawnscape to craft a quilted landscape of native or near-native habitat on our own properties? What approaches are working already? Why are they working (in the political or economic sense)? Also, why does it seem that every positive suggestion eventually meets with stiff resistance or is undermined in some way? Bee condos, bee blocks, and insect hotels are suddenly a no-no, for example. How does this happen? How do we separate true experts from corporate hacks and trolls?

Bee condos are supplemental housing or disease-and-parasite-riddled death traps depending on who you ask

It is hard for me to believe that this blog began in over a decade ago. I simply and selfishly wanted to share my experiences and knowledge with no purpose other than entertainment and validation. Now it is a true community of “followers” who deserve something more, including a voice in the future direction of Bug Eric. Entomology encompasses so much, from science to art, that there is no shortage of material. Indeed, the greatest challenge may be that of focus, like seeing a single mayfly in the swarm.

Contact: bugeric247ATgmailDOTcom.

A Different Direction

Friends, I want to thank you for your continued patronage of this blog over the years. It has been, and continues to be, a privilege to serve you. At present, and for the foreseeable future, I find my life trending in different directions, and you will probably find fewer pieces of new content from now on. Please allow me to explain.

Most of the work I do to inform, educate, and fascinate is now done through social media, namely Facebook. I doubt I will ever indulge much in Twitter, or any of the other platforms, since I do not interact well with mobile devices (I am almost literally "all thumbs" on a tablet or smartphone). These platforms do, however, reflect something important that I must be cognizant of, and responsive to.

We are at a point where "instant gratification" is now possible through texting, internet messaging, and social media. The era of the blog may even be slowly coming to a close. No one wants to wait for a blog post when they are having a panic attack now over the spider crossing the kitchen floor. They can take a picture of it with their phone and send it over the airwaves to me or another expert immediately. This is the new 9-1-1, and 4-1-1, all wrapped up into one thing.

I honestly can't fault people for demanding information faster; and I would rather have it be me giving them a correct answer and advice than someone who does not know a brown recluse from a harmless wolf spider. Heck, I myself am "guilty" of using social media to get specimen identifications from authorities I trust. This is today's reality, and one must adapt or lose their impact and relevance.

Second, recent major expenses dictate that I must seek paying writing assignments and related work. I may even need to secure a traditional job outside the home, though I do not relish that prospect. Those who know me understand that I am not "greedy" or materialistic. Far from it. Still, even basic expenditures must be paid, and my income has increasingly stagnated. Doctor visits become more frequent as I age, with corresponding increases for medical bills. You get the idea.

Lastly, I have found increasing satisfaction from writing about topics completely unrelated to insects and spiders. So far, the outlet for this has been my other blog, Sense of Misplaced, but I am on the verge of seeking paying markets for personal essays and social commentary. I have loyal readers of that blog to thank for giving me the confidence and courage to believe that I can reach a far larger audience, and perhaps even influence cultural change and regulatory policies.

Our country, indeed the world, is in such a state of crisis that we need every voice to be heard. Every innovation, every idea, needs to gain an audience from those in places where those suggestions can be evaluated and implemented. I aim to be one of those voices for positive change, empathy, and leadership. I hope my audience here can transfer to my other blog, and on into mainstream media.

Meanwhile, I have enough posts in the Bug Eric archives that I feel it is still a sustainable resource. I continue to get positive, non-spam comments from new "recruits" delighted to find here the answer to that "mystery bug." I will still blog here periodically, at the very least to promote the work of others. Thank you again for your support.

Changing Course

You, dear reader, deserve an explanation for my recent absence. Lately, I find myself increasingly disillusioned about whether to continue this blog. The possibilities for posts are endless, that is not the problem. Whether I am simply “preaching to the choir” is one concern, but continuing to provide these posts for free is a much more pressing issue.

The response has been good, and I continue to get praise for which I am genuinely grateful. Honest, I truly appreciate that you appreciate what I do. However, my life has changed dramatically since I first began this blog. I got married, and with that blessing comes the added responsibility of providing at least a modicum of a financial contribution to the relationship. I do not have a traditional “job” of any kind, and those are becoming harder to come by anyway. My revenue stream is drying up as magazine markets for my writing continue to dwindle, either folding outright or ceasing to use freelancers. Almost nobody with an internet presence is willing to pay for content.

It becomes tiresome and guilt-generating to be begging for donations to this blog. I am not PBS or NPR. It is not my intent to coerce monetary remuneration from anyone who follows this blog. For all I know, most of you are in the same boat I am in, unable to spend much on anything but essentials and the odd splurge of a dinner out.

The other problem I face is purely personal. I am prone to mild depression and anxiety, and my writing suffers periodically because of that. I know that I have also grown weary of providing “virtual” experiences online and would much rather be getting together with my colleagues and “fans” in the field where we can look at actual, living organisms. There is no substitute for sharing in the real world.

I need your help to become the “go-to guy” for entomology at nature festivals, Master Naturalist workshops, ecotours, and other events. I need to be pointed toward hidden markets for my writing, too, from regional and local magazines to book publishers.

For the time being at least, posts here will be sporadic as I concentrate my efforts on finding projects and clients that have at least slight economic potential. You have my apologies, but I hope that I have your understanding. Thank you.

Happy Holidays!

I want to wish all of my followers and fellow bloggers Happy Holidays, and my sincerest best wishes to you for a bright new year.

I spent yesterday doing a Christmas bird count in the vicinity of La Veta, Colorado (Spanish Peaks area), where we were rewarded with spottings of wild turkey (the bird, silly, not the whiskey), and a Golden Eagle among several other species. Interestingly, I learned that Eastern Boxelder Bugs (Boisea trivittata) are called "adobe bugs" there. Never heard of that before. That insect was quite plentiful, though, basking on the south side of houses despite the lingering snow at over 7,000 feet elevation.

I continue to enjoy making new discoveries like that, and then sharing them with all of you. Remember there will be more diversity in posts next year. Remember, too, that you are always welcome to share your own questions, images, and observations with me. My personal universe is rather small, but together we can broaden our collective horizons. Thank you.

BugEric24ATyahooDOTcom.

Big Changes Coming Here

I can hardly believe I have been at this for three years and over 300 posts, but that is how it should be. When you enjoy what you are doing, time flies. Time has come to make some changes, though, all for the better I think.

There will be more diversity in the subjects covered here. I will likely be adding “Moth Monday,” “True Bug Tuesday,” and “Fly Day Friday” to the current “Wasp Wednesday” and “Spider Sunday.” “Orthoptera Thursday” is another possibility. You won’t get one of each every week, but you’ll probably get at least two posts each week.

Posts will probably be shorter. I need to expand my audience, and most people do not read online, they scan. They like bullet points. I will do my best to balance thoroughness and storyline with brevity.

I will be debuting a new website. I am privileged to be working with a good friend who is also a website developer to make BugEric dot com a reality, probably sometime in January or February of 2013. Blog posts will likely be moved there, and this site kept as an archive. The new site will offer me far more flexibility in what else I can do, including making products available for sale.

The most important thing I need to do, however, is to promote my name and my site to generate some kind of income. Yes, I could get a “regular job,” but then most of what you are getting would cease to be due to time constraints. Please help me to do this, if you will, through continued donations, recruitment of advertisers, and whatever other avenues you can think of. My expertise is in writing and entomology, not in internet marketing.

I thank you for your continued support through following this blog, and look forward to bringing you an even better product in the future.