The Night Tour with Tracie

"The Bug Lady"

Drake Bay, Costa Rica

Discover the hidden treasures of Drake Bay,  Costa Rica with Tracie "The Bug Lady" .

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 Costa Rica is home to more than 150 of the world's 3,500 species of cockroach. 

Each year around forty new species are identified.

Most of the species still unknown to science live in the canopy of tropical forests.

The beautiful cockroach pictured to the right is a species of canopy roach. Only rarely is it encountered at ground level.


 

 

 


 Scientists have identified nearly 38,000 species of spider.

While there are roughly 4,000 species of mammal that roam the earth, there are over 4,400 species of jumping spiders alone.


 

 

 

 


Despite most people's overwhelming fear of snakes, only about 450 out of the world's 2,600 total are potentially dangerous to humans.

In Costa Rica there are 137 different species of snake, of which only 22 are venomous.


 

 

 

 

 


On the night tour, lucky guests may cross paths with a  tamandua anteater.

The word "tamandua" comes from the Brazilian Tupi Indian words taa, meaning ant, and mandeu, meaning to trap.

Tamanduas feed on termites, ants, and occasionally, even bees.

Adult tamanduas are estimated to  visit 50 to 80 ant and termite colonies each day, where they consume some 9,000 insects.


 

 

Tales From The Bug Lady...

On the night tour,  The Bug Lady will transport you to a realm where reality rivals science fiction. 

Guests will learn, hand's on, how to harvest silk from one of Central America's largest spiders, how toxic toads were employed in mind control studies,  and why the US military enlisted cockroaches in the Vietnam War.  

Long Horned Beetle With a style that is as witty as it is engaging, Tracie and Gian deliver a skillful blend of natural history and human lore.   Guests can expect them to cover a wealth of fascinating topics, such as:

 Six-legged Sex and Eight-eyed Erotica  

Did you know some male insects sing with their genitals to attract a mate?   Or that, if an insect falls victim to one STD, the truly bizarre result may be a spontaneous sex-change? 

For our mature audiences only, we'll take an entertaining look at the private lives of insects and spiders.  Learn about love potions, fatal attractions, and bridal bondage with this tantalizing topic. 


Beetle Juice and Chemical Warfare

Poison gases, lethal bombs, the deployment of tens of thousands of soldiers...are these horrid agents of warfare a modern invention?  Certainly not.   For millions of years, insects have been waging a chemical arms race that rivals the military aspirations of nations.  

From the weaponry of scorpions to the legions of army ants, Tracie will take you to the battlefields of the mini-beasts.   More intriguing still, guests will  learn why the Pentagon and a little-known government agency  have a keen interest in insect weaponry today.


  Drake Bay, Costa Rica - A rare find, this canopy cockroach is one of 150 species of roach found in Costa Rica.    

  Insects in Medicine

"Take two roaches, and call me in the morning."  You may not have heard this recommendation from your doctor, but, believe it or not, roaches have been in the "medicine chests" of various cultures since antiquity.  

Tracie has done extensive research on the medicinal use of insects by tribal and ancient societies - and how modern scientist are only now beginning to confirm their   therapeutic potential.  How might scorpions one day save tens of thousands of lives?  You'll find out on The Night Tour.


Drake Bay, Costa Rica - Jumping Spider        

The World of Spiders

Throughout The Night Tour, we'll explore the lives and lore of the planet's most feared, and misunderstood, creatures: the spiders and their creepy, crawly kin.  

We'll cover subjects as diverse as courtship and "child" care to the amazing properties of spider silk.  We'll also address an array of intriguing and odd questions:  Why were spiders fed mind-altering substances in the 1970's?  Why do some spiders deliberately adorn their webs with the bodies of their victims?    

Guests should be prepared to see more eight-legged creepy-crawlies than ever before!


Slithering Snakes, Sleeping Lizards, and Lovable Frogs

Drake Bay, Costa Rica - Snakes are commonly seen on The Night Tour with Tracie The Bug Lady.

Gianfranco Gómez is an avid amphibian and reptile enthusiast.   Frogs, snakes, and lizards are all commonly encountered on the tour.    Whether or not you delight in or despise these cold blooded creatures, you'll certainly  be amazed by the tales you'll hear. 

Discover the lizard that runs on water and  the frog that eats snakes.    Meet the snake that dines on Pit Vipers and one that only feeds on bugs.  Listen to the romantic songs of male frogs, striking their best note to lure in a mate. 

Learn all the intimate details of their quest for steamy sex on wet tropical nights.   Guests will enjoy many great photo opportunities.


Other Denizens of The Dark

Compared to insects, spiders, frogs, and snakes,  most mammals tend to be very shy creatures.  They're usually highly alert and possess superior speed.  

Every mammal encounter on The Night Tour is a chance encounter.  We do see several ocelots each year, and often from very close vantage points.  We have also seen Pumas, Jaguarundis and Jaguars.   While you would have to be very lucky to see one of our Costa Rican wild cats, here is a partial list of mammals that are regularly seen:

Kinkajous, Striped Hog-Nosed Skunks, Northern Raccoons, Pacas, Armadillos, Three Toed Sloths, Northern Tamandua Anteaters, Woolly Opossums, Four-eyed Opossums, Common Opossums, and a variety of bats. 

Northern Tamandua

 



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This is the official site of The Night Tour with Tracie "The Bug Lady"

drakebaycostarica@gmail.com

Costa Rica Tel: (506) 8701-7356 / (506) 8701-7462

© 2018 Gianfranco Gómez and Tracie Stice.  All Rights Reserved. The use of any photographs, reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or stored in a retrieval system, without prior consent of the owner - is an infringement of the copyright law and is forbidden.

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