Structure
Individuals may hoard many different type of insects for the battles. Some of the most popular bugs are the Stag Beetle, Rhinoceros Beetle, the Cricket and the Goliath Beetle, as their sheer size and jumping ability make them formidable opponents. They are trained by their owners to become stronger and more aggressive. Beetle fighting is practised in the northern region of Thailand.Insect fighters claim that their activity provides free entertainment while removing pests from the environment.
Training
A training method involves using supplemental feedings of sugar from sugarcane (their favorite food and nesting areas) to help the beetles grow bigger. After the training is complete, the owners will take them to the designated fighting arena and the bugs are forced to fight each other.
A small noisemaker is used that duplicates the female's mating call (fighting beetles are male). Getting beetles to fight requires patience and is much different than other types of animal fighting. The loser is pushed onto his back by the winner, pushed off of a limb, or a predetermined area.
Object
The fight can take place on a log, stump, or circle drawn in the dirt, anywhere that is a small ring. The ways to win these "battles" are by either one insect pushing the other out of the ring, one of them running out of the ring (which happens very rarely), or one of them dying while fighting.Gambling
Spectators and owners can gamble on their own or other insects.In culture
- In the Samurai Champloo episode Gamblers and Gallantry the character Mugen trains a stag beetle for combat by tying a large rock to it.
- The most common insect the Chinese use are grasshoppers or praying mantis (mainly Chinese Mantis). Sometimes the fight will be two different type of insects fighting in a make shift "arena".
- The movie Jarhead (film) contains one scene where U.S Marines battle scorpions in the desert (though scorpions are not insects).
- The Pokemon franchise finds its origins in this ancient pastime.
See also
External links
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Last updated on Wednesday July 23, 2008 at 07:10:51 PDT (GMT -0700)
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