![]() ![]() ![]() Their bows and arrows are not powerful – which is one reason why they use poisoned arrows – so the Bushmen hunters must stalk their prey and get close before taking a shot. The Bushmen, also known as the San people, dig beside Commiphora host plants, such as Commiphora angolensis, in search of Diamphidia nigroornata, or Commiphora africana for Diamphidia vittatipennis. Once collected, the Bushmen will squeeze the fluid from the larvae and pupae, otherwise known as hemolymph, onto the shaft of their arrows, but not the tip, to avoid “accidents.” Up to ten larvae could be applied to one arrow, which is then dried over hot coals to bond the poison, which maintains its lethal potential for up to a year. * Remember that part in The Matrix where Neo sees the tracking device “bug” extracted from his navel, and shouts “Jesus Christ, that thing’s real?” That’s me when I found out frankincense and myrrh were real things, and not just a belated baby shower gift delivered by three wise men.ĭiamphidia vittatipennis larva by Bernard DuPont (CC BY-SA 2.0) This long dormancy period means that the Bushmen can find the cocoons and larvae year-round and have a ready supply of poison, especially important since mature beetles are not poisonous. They may lay dormant for several years before molting into pupae, and continue their life cycle. As the eggs develop through the instar and grub phases, the larvae will shed their poo protection and burrow up to (down to?) three feet, where they make a cocoon from sand and take a needed break. Do they search for the venom of snakes, spiders, or scorpions? No, they dig for the larvae of a lowly leaf beetle.īeetles of the genus Diamphidia lay their eggs on the stems of shrubs from the Commiphora genus – commonly known as frankincense and myrrh.* The doting mothers then coat their precious eggs with their own feces (that’s faeces for my UK friends), which harden into a protective armor. Three feet of red sand and clay the hunter-gatherer Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert dig through to find the poison which they use to fall their prey. Bushman Arrows by Ian Beatty (CC BY-SA 2.0) ![]()
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