Insect fighting is a blood sport involving insects. It is practiced in areas in China, Japan, and Thailand. Insect fighting is a traditional Chinese pastime that dates back to the Tang Dynasty of 618-907 and had long been mainly practiced by aristocrats, senior officials and wealthy merchants. It is also a casual activity for youth in western countries and is known colloquially as "bugfighting".

Overview

Individuals may hoard many different type of insects for the fights. Some of the most popular are the Stag Beetle, Rhinoceros Beetle, Kabutomushi, Cricket, and Goliath Beetle, as their sheer size and jumping ability make them formidable opponents. They are trained by their owners to become stronger and more aggressive. A training method involves using supplemental feedings of sugar from sugarcane (their favorite food and nesting areas) to help the beetles grow bigger. After the training is complete, the owners will take them to the designated fighting arena and the insects fight each other.The most common insects used in China are grasshoppers or praying mantis (mainly Chinese Mantis). Sometimes the fight will be between two different type of insects fighting in a makeshift "arena".Insect fighters claim that their activity provides free entertainment while removing pests from the environment.

With beetles, a small noisemaker is used that duplicates the female's mating call (fighting beetles are male). Getting beetles to fight requires patience and is much different than other types of animal fighting. The loser is pushed onto his back by the winner, pushed off of a tree limb, or a predetermined area.

The fight can take place on a log, stump, or circle drawn in the dirt, anywhere that is a small ring. Fights are won either by one insect pushing the other out of the ring, one of them running out of the ring (which rarely happens), or one of them being flipped over during the fight. With beetles, it is extremely rare for one to die during a fight.

In popular culture

Insect fights are featured in:

• The Samurai Champloo episode Gamblers and Gallantry: the character Mugen trains a stag beetle for combat by tying a large rock to it
• The movie Jarhead: U.S Marines pit scorpions against each other in the desert (though scorpions are not insects)
• In the movie Enter the Dragon

See also

• Cricket fighting
• Spider fighting

External links

• Japanese Bug Fights.com