David SiesThe big-headed bug
In association with
Omroep Gelderland
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 22:48
David Sies, a pastor from Harderwijk, has caught a very special creature: the big-headed butterfly bug. The distant cousin of the bed bug was last seen in the Netherlands 122 years ago. Unfortunately, the insect also died immediately.
In his spare time, Sies likes to go into nature with a sieve. “To sift spiders,” as he puts it. It’s his hobby that got out of hand, he says, laughing. “I then have a grid with holes. I put leaves, needles and bark in it. When I sieve, the grit falls into the bag. I put that in a container and take it home,” he says. Omroep Gelderland.
Once home, he enjoys digging through the grit, looking for spiders and other life. “There is always something to be found in the litter,” he says. “There is often bycatch, such as beetles and bugs.” And that also caught his eye this afternoon. “There was a very small bug crawling around. I thought it looked striking because it had a slightly larger head.”
Rare find
Sies consulted the website fout.nl and called in a bug expert. That’s where the name big-headed butterfly bug came up. “A little later I also received confirmation from the bug expert: it was really about this species.”
The find is special because the last big-headed butterfly bug was observed in 1902. “It belongs to the boll eye bug family.” They often have a bad name, thanks to their distant cousin, the bed bug. Unjustified according to Sies: “That is comparing seagulls with sparrows. There is enormous diversity.”
Sad ending
When Ties heard that he had found a rare species, he hoped to catch a glimpse of the big-headed butterfly bug. “I had put the bug in a box with some grit. Then I saw it lying dead among the grit.”
Now the animal is on alcohol. “I don’t know if anyone wants it. I have often found spiders that eventually went to Naturalis in Leiden. And sometimes I keep them myself,” Sies concludes.
David SiesThe big-headed butterfly bug on a ladybird
2024-02-19 21:48:44
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