thank the bugs for weed

[sherlockhead]

i read somewhere that the reason weed produces thc and those sticky trichomes is an adaptation to fight off bugs that were eating all the leaves. when the plant evolved an got the trchomes, bugs would fly onto the buds, stick to the trichs, and absorb thc, get intoxicated, and fall off the plant and the marijuana didnt lose any leaves from pesky bugs trying to eat up the plant.

interesting, isnt it

EDIT: i guess this defense mechanism only worked in the native area of marijuana, because alot of people say that bugs are eating their plants, different type of bugs there i suppose

[Farbeyondriven]

that is really cool, but i dont blame them from eating the leaves, i wonder if i could grow a plant big enoughso that im the size of a bug comapred to it,
then i could jump on it and get intoxicated.

[ghostdeini]

uhhh if the bug gets stuck to the plant, and furthermore "intoxicated", how does it manage to un-stick itself from the plant? and why does it matter what type of bug eats the pot? according to you, wouldn't it get stuck to the plant regardless?

i call bullshit

[newbie01]

you gotta declare shenanagens......but i dont! I think that the bug will try to fly away and just kinda crap out and fall, intresting though.

[sherlockhead]

Originally Posted by ghostdeini

uhhh if the bug gets stuck to the plant, and furthermore "intoxicated", how does it manage to un-stick itself from the plant? and why does it matter what type of bug eats the pot? according to you, wouldn't it get stuck to the plant regardless?

i call bullshit

dude im just taking it from a site, the source was pretty credible i believe it

[Rahzizzle]

daaaaamn, i wanna take a bath in pure thc crystals like those bugs did!

they probably got so high they passed out and rolled off somehow

[Mariejane]

I can believe it. It's a similar thing occurance the hallucinogenic cane toads. They have a poison on their back that wards off predators.

[dirtybongwater]

ghostdeini, no bullshit.

I don't think we need to thank the bugs for weed... but we sure do need to thank someone for weed. For now it's Mother Nature!

Here is an excerpt from Chemical ecology of Cannabis [1994 Netherlands Study].

"Insect predation

... Cannabis is subject to few predators (Smith and Haney 1973, Stannard et al. 1970) and has even been utilized in powdered or extract form as an insecticide (Bouquet 1950) or repellent (Khare et al. 1974). Its apparent defensive mechanisms include a generous covering of non-glandular trichomes, emission of volatile terpenoid substances, and exudation of the sticky cannabinoids. Cannabis is often noted for its aromatic quality and many of the terpenes produced are known to possess insect-repellent properties. Among these are alpha and beta pinene, limonene, terpineol and borneol. Pinenes and limonene comprise over 75% of the volatiles detected in the surrounding atmosphere, but account for only 7% of the essential oil (Hood et al. 1973). Consistent with glandular trichome density and cannabinoid content, more of these terpenes are produced by the inflorescences than the leaves, and their occurrence is also greater in the female plant (Martin et al. 1961).

No insect toxicity studies using isolated cannabinoids have been published to date. Rothschild et al. (1977) found THC-rich Mexican (vs. CBD-rich Turkish) Cannabis fatal to tiger moth (Arctia caja) larvae, but not Nigerian grasshopper (Zonocerus elegans) nymphs. Rothschild and Fairbairn (1980) later found that pure THC (vs. CBD) sprayed on cabbage leaves, does repel the large white cabbage butterfly (Pieris brassicae).

The cannabinoids may also serve as a purely mechanical defense. A tiny creature crossing the leaf surface could rupture the tenuously attached globular resin reservoirs of the glandular trichomes (Ledbetter and Krikorian 1975) and become ensnared in resin. A sizable chewing insect, if able to overcome these defenses, would still have difficulty chewing the gummy resin, along with the cystolithic trichomes and silicified covering trichomes also present on the leaf. The utility of these epidermal features as insect antifeedants is also inferable from their predominant occurrence on the insect-favored abaxial leaf surface. Although the above strategies represent a seemingly sophisticated system, many other plants (Levin 1973) and even arthropods (Eisner 1970) utilize similar defense mechanisms, often employing identical terpenes!"

[sherlockhead]

ah thank you dbw, although i wish i could find the article about the bugs getting so wasted they wouldnt want to touch the plant again...

[asadmeow]

Originally Posted by sherlockhead

ah thank you dbw, although i wish i could find the article about the bugs getting so wasted they wouldnt want to touch the plant again...

same with caffiene.... makes the bugs so fuckin hyper they cant sit and EAT it ahahah

[jycottonmouth]

guess the munchies dont work on bugs

[cheebaa]

In a million years, after adapting capabilities to fight off humans marijuana will someday look like this:




Try stealing the buds now....

[bodom]

Originally Posted by cheebaa

In a million years, after adapting capabilities to fight off humans marijuana will someday look like this:




Try stealing the buds now....

lol! shit

[Budder81]

Imagine being a tiny bug and finding a trichlome the size of a soccer ball!

OK, if I invent the "honey I shrunk the kids machine" id shrink myself to a insect size person and build a treehouse in my kush plant.

[AndyPL]

Hahaha, look at how that backfired once humans started getting intoxicated.