So for my Halloween blog review, which I regret is my only one this year, I will be covering the Smithsonian Insects black widow (Latrodectus mactans) by Safari Ltd., originally produced back in 1998. One of my Halloween reviews last year was also L. mactans, but a novelty toy specifically sold as Halloween decor.
Brand: Smithsonian Insects
Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (Smithsonian Insects by Safari Ltd.)
5 (6 votes)
Review and photos by stargatedalek; edited by bmathison1972
Editor’s note: It gives me pleasure to post the first Blog review by longstanding forum member, stargatedalek. I have a confession to make; I had a sneaky suspicion this would be her first… :-). I actually intentionally have not reviewed it myself because I thought she’d be submitting it!
Flea (Smithsonian Insects by Safari Ltd.)
5 (2 votes)
Fleas are one of the most medically important groups of arthropods, probably only second to ticks and mosquitoes. They are vectors for many disease-causing agents, including those that cause plague, feline rickettsiae, and endemic typhus, and can serve as intermediate hosts for a few tapeworms. The Oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, was a driving force in the spread of the Black Death pandemic in the 1300s.