“Guess what we found in our room this morning!?”

Maria blurts out, “Not the S-word!”

I ask, “Which S-word? Snake? Scorpion? Sp…” Maria covers her ears.

Actually, it was a scorpion but I can appreciate that no one really wants to find any kind of ‘S’-word creature in their room. Although in Thailand, the Scorpion Lady of Pattaya doesn’t seem to mind them!This giant wood spider (Nephila maculata), found in Khao Yai National Park in Northeast Thailand, is approximately 8 inches/20 cm across and supposedly harmless to humans – although not to small birds! (And I wouldn’t want to find one in our room!)Gruesome spider snacks available at our bus stop in Cambodia; one of the other tourists bought one but I didn’t– they were expensive!

Some more ugly bugs to nibble on…

Of course maybe spiders will come down in price – according to a display in Rotterdam, the food of the future is fast-reproducing insect protein. Apparently they go well with peanut butter, and in Vancouver’s PNE Fair they are serving burgers topped with crickets for a double dose of protein!This insect isn’t for eating – it’s a robotic insects to pollinate and otherwise boost production of your in-home vegetable agriculture.
More of Jennifer Nichole-Wells One Word Photo Challenge: Insect.