poisonarrow
Full Member
Looking for fellow entomologists in the SF Bay area
Posts: 109
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Post by poisonarrow on May 13, 2011 2:09:42 GMT -8
Barry,
Valid point. I take that and agree with you. However, I think going to the field is like a lottery, you will never know what you get. Might be an incredibly lucky find, a gynander or something, which otherwise would eb unaffordable. Almost never happens. But hope always prevails.
Maybe it's the old hunter vs. collector story all over again, hahaha Cheers ben
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Post by starlightcriminal on May 13, 2011 8:05:38 GMT -8
I must be a hunter then. The experience is worth it to me, even if it is an epic failure in terms of what I come back with. On the other hand, I do have some Ornithoptera... I guess for me it's how reasonably I can buy the insect vs. the feasibility of making the trip. Like Barry, there are lots of things I 'need' so occasionally a good deal is just to tempting to pass up- it's rare and it happens mostly with green things for some reason. Not on purpose, just a pattern I noticed in my own behaviour over the years. And I have some friends I swap with. Somehow knowing they went on an adventure on my behalf makes those specimens more important to me than the birdwings anyway. So yes, I suppose there is something to be said for the provenance of a specimen in terms of its significance to me.
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Post by lucanidae25 on May 13, 2011 14:58:56 GMT -8
My question is purely from a financial point of view with out all the emotions, finance controls what we can or can not do everyday. Where do you draw the line on how much you can spend on your collecting trips? ??
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Post by starlightcriminal on May 13, 2011 17:04:46 GMT -8
That's a simple function then= likelihood of success and cost against value of the specimen. How you assess "value" is really the question- are planning to recoup by selling or are you just trying to get something for yourself cheaper than the market price (if there is one- if not, then how do you know how much it is worth?).
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poisonarrow
Full Member
Looking for fellow entomologists in the SF Bay area
Posts: 109
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Post by poisonarrow on May 13, 2011 21:47:51 GMT -8
yes, it would be a simple function, but all the fun and pleasure taking from the experience, would be a factor as well, of course weighted very differently for the different people. sad thing is, we do not have total information, so likelihood of success cannot be determined properly It's like economics: A solution for everything, if only there was complete information :-)
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Post by downundermoths on May 13, 2011 23:19:16 GMT -8
Most 'foreign' trips are fraught with problems, apart from the sheer price...officialdom, waiting, bribes, bandits, waiting, diarrhoea, bites, nonexistant transport, waiting, unimpressed landowners, riots, wars, bridges down etc etc. I was lucky in having plenty of collecting overseas, but I had to take some risky employment to do it. Four years working in a Copperbelt hospital in Zambia, gave me my African collection. Thirteen years working in a government hospital in Papua New Guinea gave me a good start with my Australasian collection. Thirty two years in my native England was enough for the British stuff, and now seventeen years in Queensland have satiated me... If you really want to collect seriously in overseas countries...get a job there !!! Barry
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Post by lucanidae25 on May 14, 2011 0:20:19 GMT -8
Barry The only problem is there are too countries in this world. hahaha Not practical ;D
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Post by timoinsects on May 27, 2011 18:12:35 GMT -8
collecting itself is not all. not always satisified,sometimes maybe very poor collecting harvest. the traveling itself,see the sceneary,breath fresh air,see the life difference of the local people and talk with them etc. are incapable be replaced.
all thouse alcumilated experiences is vert significant and of importance for future collectings. fantastic memories!
BTW,it's indeed sometimes take much risk of collecting,natural disaster.desease. and pain( kiss from leech for example).
a good way of saving money i think is living and eating together with the villegers,in their home. just nigotiate with them for a very cheap price of every day cost ( "hotel" and food). this helps staying many days (1 moth or more) with loweast cost. and could employ a hunter together with you. and be a guide.
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