Operation 'bugs on the move'

Operation 'bugs on the move' is in full swing. Having made the decision to relocate the bugs from their log cabin at the bottom of the garden into the workshop next to my office, I cannot wait to get started! We have the guy who fitted our kitchen coming over this evening to discuss moving the appliances that are currently in the workshop. My husband has Sunday and Monday off work so we will be clearing out our spare bedroom to house all the tools and equipment that are in the workshop. Once the workshop is clear we (hubby) can begin making cupboards around the boiler, alarm system etc. and then decorate and seal the entire room. 'Seal' being the main thing, bugs love to climb into anything electrical. I will endeavour to clean all the cages thoroughly before putting them in the room. I am hoping not to move all the small spiders (that come in on the stick insects bramble), escaped cockroaches and fruit flies, that currently drive me crazy in my bug house. Now that I no longer keep praying mantids I have no need to keep flies as food. How nice it would be to have a bug house that is fly free. I have just this week ordered another batch of sticky fly papers, it would be great if I never need to order any more. The ceiling in the workshop is considerably lower so I can't imagine where I could hang the fly papers without them catching on my clothes or worse, my hair. Fitting everything in will be a challenge but as I look around my bug house each day I realise just how much can be kept in my office and doesn't need to be in the bug house at all. I will be cutting right back on the equipment that I sell as I obviously won't have the storage space that I have now. Book sales have plummeted since the internet took off and I sell very few heat mats, other than the small sizes so I will be selling off my larger heat mats when the time comes, they take up too much space in my office cupboard.

Initially we weren't sure about moving the bugs but now all I can see are positives. There is obviously a lot of work to be done and the room is considerably smaller but the electricity bill will be much lower, I won't need to walk up and down the garden umpteen times a day, everything will be to hand when I get an enquiry, I can just pop through the door of my office and check on stock numbers, the sex of bugs or measure tarantulas etc. At present I write notes in my office to act on in the bug house and then notes in the bug house to do when I get back indoors again. Then there is also the fact that I can invite people to visit as the door next to our garage leads directing into the workshop. There will be no more steering people through the house, down the garden with the slippery decking, past the dog, over the bridge that crosses our fish pond! I just can't wait....

I think 2013 is a year of change for me. My New Year's Resolution is "Less work, more fun". The bugs are great but I spend far too much time on their daily upkeep, it leaves me little time for anything else and makes me no money. I really prefer selling captive bred bugs but my figures tell me that many of my customers are not as concerned as me. Looking at my website statistics I need to buy more and breed less. There is no point in breeding bugs that nobody wants, I have learnt that lesson from keeping stick insects. I love them but they are no longer such popular pets as they once were. I don't think it helps that postage is so expensive these days. Stick insects are generally inexpensive but my postage is set at £8.00 per order. I cannot do anything about this as Special Delivery is expensive and in my opinion is the only way to post living bugs. The service is very good, almost every parcel arrives by lunch time the day after I post it but once upon a time I could use First Class post, it cost pennies and arrived first thing the next day. Everything has gone up, posting boxes, brown tape, plastic containers and of course heat packs (necessary at this time of year). Almost everything that I post arrives in perfect condition but I am out of pocket on postage with many orders that I send.

I have lots of commitments as well as all the bugs. I have a large, active, dog who needs walking, a mother in-law who needs care and I am also looking after my nephew's three children on Thursdays, as from this week. The youngest is only four and has to be collected from nursery at midday so I won't have much time to pack and post orders unless my hubby is around. He works shifts and will therefore sometimes be here to help (with the kids that is, he certainly won't be helping with the bugs). Again, having the bugs indoors will be a bonus when I am needed by family members. It is much easier to pop in and sort something out by going through my office door than traipsing down to the end of the garden.

I have been told by my web guy that I should put the word 'tarantula' on my site more often as it leads people to me when they do an online search. I am therefore trying to add the word to each species of spider but it will be a long process. I realised that it isn't a word I tend to use, I prefer to say 'spider'. Tarantula sounds so sensationalist to me and Bird-eating spider sounds even worse.

Must get on, I was going to cut down on blog entries to perhaps fortnightly or even monthly but I have been convinced not to (apparently lots of people like to read my weekly ramblings!). I have to take my mother in-law shopping shortly and then I must get all the large spiders fed this afternoon. My emails have piled up as I was busy with the kids yesterday so I will get them sorted later. I am now looking at restocking, there is a bug show coming up soon so I will be buying in lots of new species. It's been a busy week, lots of orders which are much appreciated.

I must just mention this before I go. I was moaning about the fact that I didn't know what had happened about the guy in America who died as a result of winning a 'bug eating contest'. Obviously he ate a lot of bugs but they all sounded harmless and it said on the internet that a post mortem would be carried out. I have Googled the story and there appear to be no updates at all. It is obviously yesterdays news but I really wanted to know the outcome. My cousin then said to me "It is obviously bugging you" - very funny I thought. (does anyone have an update on this story?)