Doodlebugs!

[jdmidwest]

Anybody know what a Doodlebug is?? I thought everyone knew, but I found out today they don't. Walking out of the office tonight, there were several funnel shapes in the dirt of the flowerbed. I asked the young sons of my buddy if they had ever saw a doodlebug. I dug one out of the dirt and showed it to them. Seems like my buddy never saw or knew of them either. They must be a well kept secret. Growing up, we used to play with them all of the time. A larva of the lacewing family and known otherwise as Ant Lion, they were neat to watch. Often times we would disturb the funnel and watch the doodlebug flip the dirt back out to make a perfect cone shaped trap. We would catch ants and feed them, we would dig them up and watch them work their way back down into the dirt. They were plentiful in sand and fine dirt around the barn and house. Funny how little things amuse a country boy growing up out in the sticks. Here is a link for those that have never seen them. They mutate into an insect resembling a damselfly and may even be the source of a trout fly or two.

Doodlebugs

[Flysmallie]

Growing up in Oklahoma it seemed everybody knew what they were, there was even a song. I haven't met anyone in the Ozarks that knew what they were.

[Chief Grey Bear]

I haven't met anyone in the Ozarks that knew what they were.

Yes you have.

[jdmidwest]

Doodlebug, doodlebug, your house is on fire!

[Al Agnew]

Yep, I knew them as doodlebugs when I was a kid, and like you I loved to feed them ants.

[fishinwrench]

I always knew them as Ant lions, never heard them called Doodlebugs. I remember learning about them in cub scouts when I was a kid.

When I saw the topic header "Doodlebug" I thought it was a typo'ed bass-bug thread about Booglebugs. LOL

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[Chief Grey Bear]

Actually wrench, when I first saw the heading, my automatic thought went to the self propelled, gas powered contraption that looked like a passenger car rolling down the rail. Doodlebugs sometimes pulled an unpowered trailer car, but were more often used singly. They were popular with some railroads during the first part of the 20th century to provide passenger and mail service on lightly-used branch lines, obviating the need to operate conventional trains consisting of a locomotive and coaches. Several railroads, mostly small regional and local networks, provided their main passenger services through doodlebugs in a cost cutting effort.

But with this being a fishing forum, I knew it had to be the insect. Heck, I still like to feed them. We have some here on the west side of the house every year and I always take a little time every now and then to relive my Ozarkian childhood. It was quite a site the firs time I showed these to my children.

Here is a link that shows some pics of a railroad doodlebug:

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/self_prop6.html