Filled with nostalgia, I wrote about 'my first hornet hunt'...
"There! That tree, over there."
Miyake pointed to the foot of a low hill that rose above the paddy fields. When we reached the spot, there it was - a
giant hornet, crawling across the bark. I turned to Miyake in astonishment. How could he possibly have seen the insect
at such a distance?
The 65-year-old with impossibly sharp eyes smiled to himself, and he and Nakagaki began to prepare their chosen
‘bait’ – a piece of cloth, soaked in sugar water and attached to a long pole.
I later learned that what had, in fact, caught Miyake’s eye across the paddy field was the tree itself. It secretes a sweet
nectar, and giant hornets – which can only ingest liquids once they have reached adulthood – love to feed on it.
The hornet soon sensed the sugar water below. She flew down and began to drink. Nakagaki turned to me. "We do
nothing, for now. Let her get accustomed to it." Suddenly, she took off at speed.
"Good. Now more will come," Miyake stated with a smile, shielding his eyes from the bright autumn sun as he stared
after her.
...if you'd like to continue reading, the full story is on the BUGSfeed website - which also has a LOT of information about edible insects, and a pretty interesting documentary film trailer, too.
"There! That tree, over there."
Miyake pointed to the foot of a low hill that rose above the paddy fields. When we reached the spot, there it was - a
giant hornet, crawling across the bark. I turned to Miyake in astonishment. How could he possibly have seen the insect
at such a distance?
The 65-year-old with impossibly sharp eyes smiled to himself, and he and Nakagaki began to prepare their chosen
‘bait’ – a piece of cloth, soaked in sugar water and attached to a long pole.
I later learned that what had, in fact, caught Miyake’s eye across the paddy field was the tree itself. It secretes a sweet
nectar, and giant hornets – which can only ingest liquids once they have reached adulthood – love to feed on it.
The hornet soon sensed the sugar water below. She flew down and began to drink. Nakagaki turned to me. "We do
nothing, for now. Let her get accustomed to it." Suddenly, she took off at speed.
"Good. Now more will come," Miyake stated with a smile, shielding his eyes from the bright autumn sun as he stared
after her.
...if you'd like to continue reading, the full story is on the BUGSfeed website - which also has a LOT of information about edible insects, and a pretty interesting documentary film trailer, too.
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