Hawaiianology

Hawaiian Centipedes are predatory arthropods with three variations: The Giant Centipede (Scolopendra subspinipes. vietnamese centipede), Common Large Centipede (Lithobius), and Upjaw Centipede (Mecistocephalus maxillaris). These centipedes can grow up to a "foot" long or longer for the giant ones. It is a multi-legged animal with a seemingly identical front from back, but one has the venom-fangs that have a pincer-like appearances known as "centipede forcipules" or "toxicognaths". These deliver a horrible bite that people call the action "bit by a centipede" means they have gotten pierced and injected with venom that can make an adult-human unable to walk from the sheer amount of pain. Centipedes have a rounded or flattened head, bearing a pair of antennae that look pretty gross as they can be straight or curved outward.   Stingahs All Over: Hawaii with its humid temperatures and off and on rains create the perfect environment for this little cri...

Rice weevils (Sitophilus oryzae) are found in Hawaii, but they are not native to Hawaii; they are a worldwide concern and thrive in warm, humid climates, which makes Hawaii a perfect vacation stop. They look for the perfect vessel and take a ride in a plane or a boat to reach their destination, your home kitchen in the islands. It is a suitable environment for them. They are considered a pervasive pantry pest and is in stored-grain that is spread globally, likely through the shipments of grains and other dry goods, so they are not only in luggage, but also in the storage warehouses and the super markets as well. Continuous imports of dry goods contributes to them being so plentiful in Hawaii. It's common for weevils or their eggs to already be present in bags of rice or other grains when purchased from the store, especially if the packaging isn't vacuum-sealed, but did you know they fly too? People in Hawaii encounter them, often unexpectedly, and have developed their own metho...

The Hawaii Cockroach is the High-Flying Nuisance or also known as the B-52 is a less-than-charming resident that parties under your sink at the Club B-52. If you are planning on moving to Hawaii this will be one of the first locals to welcome you as they pillage your leftovers. The "B-52" nickname is named after a large-cockroach that you can hear as it skit skates on the floor with the jitters of its hairy legs. It refers to the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana), and it's earned that moniker because these guys are big, they're loud, and yes, they run and get ready for take off and end up flying straight for your face. They are dark reddish-brown, shiny, 1.5 to 2-inch long that comes walking on top of you in the middle of the night, it feels a lot like a stealth bomber on a mission, and it really embodies everything that is gross. Some would say dat its da Hawaiian bird. It is seen as indigenous... jokingly put, but there is nothing funny about seeing one. I...

The Hawaiian Happy Face Spider (Theridion grallator) is a silently tropical leaf resider. If you are hiking through the wet forests of Hawaii, the colors are difficult to see as it blends in with the foliage, but one thing sticks out, its happy face. It gets its famous nickname because many of them look like they have a bright, joyful emoji painted right on their backs, complete with a big grin and squinty eyes, and a yellow body that seems friendly in its neon lit shimmer. But don't let the smile fool you; this teeny-tiny carnivores are still small huners, a dedicated mother, and a completely endemic in the valleys of Hawaii—and finding one is harder than you might think. This spider will live its entire life upside down under a slippery green leaf, hiding from hungry birds, while spinning a web so thin it looks invisible... A small leaf is huge to the Happy face Spider, since it measures only about one-quarter of an inch (5 millimeters) long, with long, glassy, translucent yellow...

Save a Garden, Set Up All You Can Drink "Slug Infestation": Hawaii Slugs are Alcoholics, slugs drink beer and they are likely attracted to the "yeast" and "hops", so make sure get plenty. They first go out after it rains or at night, because there are so many more  nightclubs like "The Planters" (general plants), "The Cabbage Container" (Beer Trap), and "Club Produce" (fruits and vegetables). When you feel you might have a slug infestation. You may try setting up a make-shift beer hall in your garden... Michelob, Budweiser, English 800, and more. They are especially needed for a vegetable garden, so don't throw out take out containers that you plan on tossing, because a fill of beer in a plastic container can do a world of good. A "Beer Container" for your yard filled with something strong smelling, the skunkiest cheap beers, and they'll come running on over. The slugs go to it when conditions are wet, so put...

The Sweet Potato Bug (Physomerus grossipes) is a fruit-devastator and is known as a Sumo Bug with its extra thick daikon radish shaped thighs (femora). It looks as if it is a heavy-lifting, thigh-flexing rustic-grey wrestler of the garden, while its appetite for garden plants knows no end — it is also sometimes called the "Large Spine-Footed Bug" by bug aficionados. When people start gardens this is one of the first visitors they find on their plants. They will move in and start pillaging, they are big, they’re loud when they move, and will be quick to ruin a persons choice harvest. Seeing a massive huddle of these prehistoric-looking beasts on your vines is enough to trigger an immediate, visceral reaction as one person said: "There is absolutely nothing "Aloha" about them." Lately, there have been heaps of reports of these bugs across the islands, from the humid backyards of Puna to the sunny slopes of Kona. People always ask, "Friend or foe? Native...

The Oriental Flower Beetle is often seen in Hawaiian gardens and is known as the Pretty Green Beetle or Protaetia fusca. It’s a bumbling, armor-plated samurai that sounds like a miniature helicopter with a loose screw. You’ll be sitting on your lanai, and hear a whirr-thump! this metallic tank misses its landing and crashed into your neck, and rolls down to your shoulder. It’s not graceful, it’s not quiet, and it is round. Its ornamental in most cases, so don't be so quick to reach for the slipper. In its appearance it has a iridescent sheen, deep chocolate and jewel-toned green. It is a "pretty" pest that somehow manages to be both a nuisance, an accidental pollinator, and a visitor in your hale. The Oriental Flower Beetle didn't swim here, and it didn't come in a crate of fruit, but it came from the Military Aircraft at Hickam Air Force Base on Oahu from Japan According to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA). It most likely was crawling into the wheel we...