Bugs on the net
Journalist and savvy webmaster Ron Mader sifts through the web to find the most interesting and unusual Mexico-related websites. Ron is the webhost of the popular Planeta.com: Eco Travels in Latin America website -- http://www.planeta.com -- and has written about the internet since the early 1990s.
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BUGS ON THE NET
Studying, breeding, watching and eating bugs on the Net
Mexico is home to some of the most interesting and unusual members of the insect kingdom, and butterflies, ants, bees and wasps have in fact been venerated since pre-Hispanic times. For example, ancient petroglyphs found in Michoacán narrated the migration of the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) long before National Geographic chronicled the same.
Insects have also played a significant role in local business over the years. In the colonial period, the Dominican Order became wealthy by cultivating and exporting the cochineal dye, produced by grinding up bugs of the same name, which thrive on the nopal cactus.
This month we take a microscopic look at some of Mexico's smallest creatures.
Monarch Watch
www.monarchwatch.org/
/5 Stars
Each winter the celebrated Monarch butterfly makes its way from Canada and the United States to Central Mexico. The Monarch Watch website tracks the migrations and provides a select menu of readings and multimedia galleries. The site provides a collaborative network of students, teachers, volunteers and researchers dedicated to the study of the Monarch butterfly.
Highlights include Butterfly Gardening ( www.monarchwatch.org/garden/index.htm) and Migration and Tagging ( www.monarchwatch.org/tagmig/index.htm). Chip Taylor and the staff at the Entomology Program at the University of Kansas direct the project. Their website is a model of how universities can generously provide up-to-date environmental research and engage an interested public. Highly recommended!
Email contact: monarch@ukans.edu
Beekeeping in Mexico
netcall.com.mx/abejas/
/5 Stars
This bilingual site provides a treasure trove of curious facts about the history and current state of honey production. Used by the Maya as the basis of their balche drink, honey was the principle ingredient for this beverage consumed during religious festivities. The site incorporates academic research as well as business interests. Check out the archive of photos provided by Steve Hoffman and Enrique Estrada at netcall.com.mx/abejas/en/photographs1.htm. On the downside, the site does not appear to be frequently updated. Nevertheless, it shows great potential.
Email contact: abejas@netcall.com.mx
Yak in Mexico
www.yakscorner.com/mexico/about.htm
/5 Stars
This illustrated guide hosted by the Detroit Free Press calls itself "America's coolest news magazine for kids." The Mexico section provides such colorful articles that it will interest Mexicophiles of all ages. Two exceptional features by Patricia Chargot focus on insects: Bugs and Rugs ( www.yakscorner.com/mexico/rug.htm) and How to Catch and Cook Grasshoppers ( www.yakscorner.com/mexico/bugs.htm).
Cochineal Information Center
www.aztecacolor.com/entrada.htm
/5 Stars
The site professes to be bilingual, but only the section in español actually works. That caveat aside, this site provides a fascinating glimpse at the workings of the Cochineal Information Center, which is located in San Bartolo Coyotpec, Oaxaca. The website provides a brief introduction to the Center's work, a variety of tourist services offered and some reflections on the use of natural dyes.
Email contact: info@aztecacolor.com
Related websites:
Bugfood!
www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/bugfood/bugfood.htm
Sample insect snacks from around the world.
Edible Insects
www.eatbug.com/
More than you wanted to know about eating bugs.
Insects on the Web
www.bugbios.com/
A shameless promotion of insect appreciation, this site is a bug lover's dream come true. Check out the insect macro-photography.
Myrmecology.org
www.myrmecology.org/
Who would have thought the scientific study of ants could be so interesting?
Ron Mader is the author of the guidebook Mexico: Adventures in Nature and host of the popular website Planeta.com, which features an insect guide at planeta.com/ecotravel/resources/insects.html.
This article originally appeared in Business Mexico magazine.
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visit their website at http://www.amcham.com.mx
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