Honeybees on Curaçao (with notes on other islands of the former Netherlands Antilles) (1)

Abeha—bees; they appear in the local news all too often, usually in a negative light following an attack with serious consequences for animals or humans. Such reporting often lacks nuance, paying little attention to the bee species itself—the root cause of the news stories—or the reasons why attacks occur in the first place. This is the first article on this series telling the story of the introduction of honeybees on the ABCSSS0islands.

Tiny critters: White-spotted moth fly/Bathroom moth fly (Clogmia albipunctata)

Almost everyone is familiar with them: those small, brownish-grey, moth-like insects that suddenly appear out of nowhere in the bathroom and quickly end up inside your shower cubicle.

Moth species: Black witch moth (Ascalapha odorata)

Every year, there are certain animal species that trigger a cloud of reactions on social media. The Black Witch Moth is one of them.

Tiny critters: Orange longhorn beetle (Oxymerus aculeatus)

The Orange longhorn beetle is not officially called that; no popular name has been designated for these animals yet, but we do know that the scientific name is Oxymerus aculeatus, a species belonging to the family Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles).

Moth species: Fig Sphinx (Pachylia ficus)

Various species of sphinx moths can be found on Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. The Fig sphinx (Pachylia ficus) is usually not very numerous on the islands.

Tiny critters: Cactus lady beetle (Chilocorus cacti)

Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao are home to various species of lady bugs, or lady beetles although most people do not really recognize them.

Tiny critters: Needle nose flies (Genus Geron)

The taxonomic family Bombyliidae, also known as the Bee flies, is a family of flies whose species are generally very hairy and have a woolly appearance. The family consists of various genera, including the genus Geron, which includes about 180 species worldwide. This genus is also known as the Needle nose flies in English.

What is this caterpillar…?

What are the ‘monster’ caterpillars eating the Frangipani. And what is the real name of these trees many are so concerned about.

Tiny critters: Vagrant grasshopper

The ABC Islands are home to countless different species of crickets and grasshoppers, most of which haven’t yet been properly identified because little research has been done. The grasshoppers found on our islands live a mysterious life in nature

Butterfly species: Basilides hairstreak

The Basilides hairstreak also called the Megarus Scrub-Hairstreak (Strymon megarus) is a rare butterfly species only found on Curaçao.

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