Catching dangerous insects: Smart or not?

[MDT]

hey PBF, i think from some of your previous posts, you're in Oklahoma, right? not sure if you are specifically to capturing dangerous insects that are found in OK, or just in general.

full disclaimer, I am def not a bug guy. I avoid them at all costs. "Nuke them from high orbit" doesn't even scratch the surface about my personal feelings on bugs.....

that being said, *if* you are asking specifically about Oklahoma insects, I can tell you from a medical perspective, we really have only 2 medically significant arthropods in OK: the brown recluse and the widow spider. the rest are essentially not that important. tarantulas, scorpions, wasps, etc...are a pain in the butt, but not considered medically important. certainly the others could cause a medical issue (if you, for instance, happen to be allergic to bee sting....you could die from anaphylaxis)...but it's def not common.

so........if you are talking about going to Australia and capturing a funnel web spider, then disregard this above. If you're talking about capturing a velvet ant in Oklahoma, be prepared for the sting of your life, but unless you tangle with the recluse or widow, you don't have a lot of "dangerous" insects/spiders to choose from.