More buggery
Also, just having ran across the adult side of your web site, here’s some more filthy porn for you
Darren

Hi again Darren,
We do find there to be something a bit lewd about this image of mating Leopard Slugs. Interestingly, as these Leopard Slugs are hermaphrodites, they are theoretically indulging in “Same Sex” Coupling.

Slugs Having Sex
Dear Bugman,
I photographed these two slugs in an intimate moment near Chilliwack, BC. They didn’t seem offended; I guess their attention was otherwise occupied. Regards,
Mike

Hi Mike,
You might want to compare the technique of your couple to the French Slugs we just posted. We also can’t help but ponder how conservatives might view the fact that slugs are Hermaphroditic, so all couplings are basically “same sex”.

Dear Bugman,
The answer is simple: “Slugs are godless heathens and live degenerate, immoral lives. We should invade/bomb Slugistan to spread freedom and to keep them from coming to our country.” Regards,
Mike

Religion, Politics and Slugs
(08/28/2006)
Dear Bugman,
I am writing in response to the following posting on your website. I am a proud Conservative Christian and feel l must say that although I enjoy your site, I do not wish to view it anymore. The fact that you yourself would make comments about “how conservatives might view the fact” and also take a step further to post the reader’s obvious anti-conservative and anti-war statements makes me question your site. I am not saying you do not have the right to post your comments or views, it is your website, and it is your right. I’m just exercising my right to not subject myself to rude comments from the left. It is an everyday right we know and a right the Iraqi people would never have known had our President not invaded their country. Leviticus 20:13 “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.” Please do not post my full name or e-mail address. Thank you!
Christina

Hello Christina,
We are happy that you have freedom of choice and that you know how important it is for individuals to be able to make decisions. Every woman has the right to choose if she wants to view our site or not, as does every man. Should you choose to not view our site any longer, we will understand and will not try to force you to do so. For clarification, we never spoke about religion or left or right. Our site is about tolerance of bugs. Also for the record, slugs are molluscs, not insects, and there are no hermaphroditic insects. We personally are not terribly tolerant of slugs in our garden.
P.S. You are very lucky that your employer, Clark Consulting in Dublin Ohio, is tolerant of web surfing and proselytizing from the office computers.

Update (08/28/2006)
WOW! You guys actually posted my response? That took balls, or, perhaps, the non-gender-specific term “gonads”. I could have told you you’d get someone like this writing in in response, but I’m sure you already knew that, as you seem brighter than the average (non-denominational, apolitical, and morally neutral) bulb. Best wishes. Can I still submit pictures,or have I been excommunicated? Cheers,
Mike

Update (08/28/2006)
I also like the part where Christina talks about Bush “invading” Iraq. I didn’t realize it was an invasion; I thought it was a liberation.
Lisa

Additional Feedback in praise of wit and humor
(08/28/2006) hehe….More Mating Slugs and subsequent Religious and Political Controversy
I’m relatively conservative and belong to a very conservative relgious denomination. But I personally believe that Christina takes things WAAAAY too personally. Please don’t let her sensitively reflect poorly on the rest of conservatives. I thought Mike’s note and yours were quite funny. Christina needs to get that bug out of her ass (pun intended).
Becky

Kind Words of Support
(08/29/2006)
The person who states she will not visit your site again IS way too sensitive and needs to chill out—and she is definitely the one losing out on a good thing. Keep up the incredible work—it gives those of us who are fascinated with our cameras and taking pictures of wildlife, both large and miniature, an outlet to show off our stuff. Thanks again
Gloria

Weird Slugs
Hi there,
These two bizarre creatures appeared outside our front door this morning. The photo’s are low-res because I took them with my mobile phone. The patterns you can see are as I saw them, in red and orange. There was a hole in the side of each slug within each pattern. Could you please tell me what they are? I have never seen coloured patterns such as these on any living creature, so I am keen to hear what you have to say!
Thanks,
Simon

Hi Simon,
We agree this is bizarre, but we don’t even know where to begin to reseach since you haven’t provided any global coordinates.

Hi, thanks for the reply. I’m in Sydney, Australia. Thanks,
Simon Edwards

Red triangle slugs
(05/17/2006) Hi Bugman, The two slugs in your recent photo (two days or so ago) look to me like Red Triangle Slugs from Australia.
http://www.amonline.net.au/sand/news/slugs.htm
Alli

Hi Alli,
Thank you so much for sending us the link to the Australian Museum Online which has this to say about the Red Triangle Slug: “Red Triangle Slug from Wallahra, Central Coast, New South Wales. Photo:

GAL Snail Love
LOVE your website! When I saw the loving Leopard Slugs I remembered these two photos I took near Wahiawa, Ohau, Hawaii, November 2005. I believe they are Giant African Landsnails, an introduced species. I found the second couple a few feet away from the first and they look like they are just getting started. For your mollusk fan – I think that is a small snail of another type on the leaf to the left of flirting pair. Thanks for providing all the great bug info. I’ve used your website several times to identify bugs since recently moving here.
Aloha, Chrissie

Hi Chrissie,
Thank you for the wonderful letter and fascinating photographs.

Wpdate: WARNING!!!!
(02/25/2006) Those Giant African Land Snails
Hello again nice bug people,
It was nice to see more snail pictures, but: I wanted to let your readers know that these Giant African Snails (Achatina species) are rapidly becoming an extremely problematic pest in many tropical areas, all over the world, including Hawaii, and they are a pest that is very difficult and costly to eliminate once they are well-established. Florida for example struggled for 10 years and spent a million dollars in order to bring a large infestation under control. For more information see:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/ep/emerging_pests/gas.html
Although unfortunately these snails are still being sold in many pet stores, is now actually illegal to own them in the continental USA, and people who have one or more in their possession are being asked to contact their state department of agriculture. For a list of contacts see:
http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/names/sphdXstate.html
You see, when people keep them as pets, the snails often get accidentally introduced to an area, either by letting snails go, or even just by the eggs being accidentally thrown out with soil from the vivarium. These snails can be amazingly destructive to the agriculture and the horticulture of an area, and they tend to trigger the disappearance or even extinction of many interesting local snail species too. In addition (if all that was not enough! ) these problematic pest species can also carry human parasites and pathogens. If by any chance you are reading this and you have one or several of these snails as pets, please do not give your snail(s) to someone else, or throw it (them) out, and please also be very careful not to throw the soil out either, especially if you live in a warm climate area.
Thanks everyone,
Susan J. Hewitt

Thank you for the Public Service announcement Susan.