Uninvited Guests...

[phaethon]

That should wake the mods up...

Anyhoo... About six months ago I bought a pack of Australian made rice cakes from Carrefour. When I opened it at home I found it absolutely crawling with tiny beetles

I quickly closed up the pack to contain them, sealed it in a zip-lock bag and threw it away. Thought nothing more of it, carried on buying them from Carrefour, one-off event, bad luck, never mind.

When Carrefour ran out I moved on to Villa Market at Paradise and stocked up on half a dozen packs. Yesterday I opened one and spotted, again, similar looking beetles - not so many but there all the same. Opening four other packs I found beetles in all of them.

On examination they appear to be the Red Flour Beetle (Tribolium confusum), a common Australian pest. This, with the observation that the packaging on at least the latter few samples was undamaged and infestations had been found in packs from two different sources, leads me to think they were shipped in with the product rather then acquired during storage in over here.

Anyway, I persuaded one to pose for photos for your edification and delectation and also to have a bitch to the manufacturers

It was the last of these that gave rise to the topic title - hel_l of a job prising the rear and two of the thoracic legs out for show - good job I hung on to my microsurgical forceps

And finally, for Patrick O'Brian fans everywhere....

This was not the largest specimen I took, there was one larger, but I chose this one because, gentlemen, one should always choose the lesser of two weevils...

[ricklev]

[Tonto21]

Ok! Step away from the keyboard phaethon! You have way too much time on your hands.

I am however impressed with how you got him to stay still for the mug-shot and the scale for sizing prepossess, (nice touch) but where's his serial number? What, no list of distinguishing features, big let down.

Did you write all that just to get that lamb ass pun in? (An oldie, but a goody) I look forward to an update on your "Hong Kong" foot problem, photos please!

You said:............"and how I got them to spread their legs for a photo" Well?

I use the old tried and tested method........Carrot, stick or 1000 Baht note.

Edited November 27, 2010 by Tonto21

[ilyelol]

And you are what? surprised?

Only buy stuff imported from japan, france, NZ, USA

[sidjameson]

Can't you barter them for some free sex from some Issan bar girl?

[StreetCowboy]

Gross! Rice cakes in with your beetles. Yuk. That's put me right off my grub

SC