#62 - THE BRITISH TARANTULA SOCIETY - PART TWO

#60 solicited new North American memberships to the world's greatest tarantula society. With our first rate Journal, the BTS is definitely on the cutting edge of arachnocultural and archeological education. However, I want to further entice you by mentioning the two great events that the BTS holds each year. An overseas trip to attend one of these may seem like only a dream to many of you, but maybe you are ready for a trip of a lifetime. Even if a trip to the UK for an arachnid event is unattainable, I am sure you will appreciate being a member in a society that successfully produces the premier arachnid-related events in the world.

I've been over to the UK for these events eight times now and each trip has been memorable. The BTS Exhibition in May in the English midlands brings vendors from all over Europe and there is a dazzling array of tarantulas, other arachnids, mantids, phasmids, beetles, snails and other invertebrates. The February lectures in Bristol's west country England has seen some of arachnoculture and arachnology's finest speakers at the lectern. I have been honored to be the keynote/guest speaker twice, in 2007 and 2015.

The BTS Lectures is held in Bristol, England and hosted by Kim and Mark Pennell. This February's Lectures was the 13th annual meeting and the 14th will be held March 5, 2016 at the fabulous Aztec Hotel and Spa. Last year my lecture on my 2014 field trip to Sri Lanka was accompanied by fine presentations by an opening humorous history of the BTS by Ray Hale, Ray Gabriel on the Tarantulas of Nicaragua, Mark Bushell from the Bristol Zoo invertebrate department, Steve Trim from Venomtech, LTD, and an after dinner lecture by Andrew Smith. I can only imagine what is in store for us in 2016. This is the do not miss event for the BTS. It is the best opportunity to socialize with some of Europe's leading arachnoculturists. The night before party is spectacular and the day after the lectures is the Annual General Meeting where all members can attend one of our BTS Committee meetings and be included.

The BTS Exhibition will enjoy its 31st year in May 2016. The past two years we expanded it to the Ricoh Arena in Coventry and saw the largest turnouts and most traders in the event's three decades. Unfortunately, the Ricoh Arena is under new ownership and we were unable to negotiate a reasonable rate so the event is moving again, this time to the Warwick Exhibition Centre on May 22, 2016. Ray Hale does a tremendous job as exhibition organizer and he and his wife Ange, plus our whole BTS committee put a great deal of work into hosting the finest arachnid sales event in the world. In addition to all the goodies the many vendors offer (Brits call them "traders"), the BTS booth - they call it a "stand" ;) - is immense and has all sorts of apparel, schwag, back issues of the Journal, membership renewals and, of course, the Competition. Each year live arachnids and photos and artwork are entered into various categories and judged. The winner of Best in Show is featured on our annual membership card and bookmark. Kudos this year to Maria and Laszlo Gombasne-Gudenus for winning with their female Phormictopus sp. Green! Those of you who are already BTS members should have received your annual membership kit with the Journal that arrived a couple days ago and seen the winning spider.

I'll close this entry with some photos from these events. Perhaps you will start thinking about saving for that trip that you know you deserve. Maybe you'll join me in representing the U.S. at a future Lectures or Exhibition. When I first spoke at the 2007 Lectures, Arachnoboards owners Scott and Debby Scher were there along with Tom Patterson. I know Eric Reynolds and Chris Hamilton have been over for the lectures and my old friend/colleague John Hoke made it across one year. It's your turn ;)

For the 2008 Exhibition I traveled over with my then employer, Alex Orleans of tarantulas.com and Northwest Zoological Supply. That's him in the orange shirt on right. In the sweater (he would call it a "jumper") and spectacles is none other than Carl Portman.

This classic is from the 2008 Exhibition when it was still held in a school gymnasium. In the center is Scottish tarantula legend Ray Gabriel and in the right foreground is African tarantula expert Richard Gallon.

Thanks to the U.S.D.A. you won't see phasmids like these for sale in the States.

Lee Ardern's Welsh The Spider Shop always has about ten tables filled with tarantulas and more!

After my 2007 lecture I took a little side trip to Amsterdam. I saw canals, but mostly I saw coffee shops and the red light district. Those stories will not make it to this blog.

A much younger and much hairier me in the British Museum during my first trip in 2006. That is the type specimen of "Poecilotheria bara/subfusca"

Here I am presenting "Tarantula Keeping: The Next Generation, Innovation in Modern Husbandry Techniques" at the 2007 British Tarantula Society Lectures. This was my first trip over for the Lectures and I was honored to be the keynote speaker.

Jump ahead to the 2014 BTS Exhibition and here is Ray Gabriel, Andrew Smith and I.

This is also from the 2014 BTS Exhibition. Mark Pennell with the perfect photobomb in the background plus, left to right, Shelley Cole, me, Connie Kirk, Maria Gombasne-Gudenus and baby Reka and Laszlo Gombasne Gudenus. 

This is from this past May's 30th annual BTS Exhibition. Spider Shops, New World and Old World. The Spider Shop in Wales owner Lee Ardern and myself.

The British Tarantula Society is truly an international organization and these events see people come from all over Europe. Of course, "all over Europe" is smaller than "all over the United States". For them it's like me going to Tennessee. But if you want to make the pilgrimage (I guess that would be "reverse pilgrimage") and plan the trip of a lifetime to attend a BTS event drop me a line. I will be your guide. MJ