Insect fighting is a range of competitive sporting activity, commonly associated with gambling, in which

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s are pitted against each other. Cricket fighting in China

Background

Forms of insect-fighting as

spectator sport A spectator sport is a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its competitions. Spectator sports may be professional sports or amateur sports. They often are distinguished from participant sports, which are ...

are practiced in regions of China, Japan,

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. Some types have a long history; for example, cricket-fighting is a traditional Chinese pastime that dates back to the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

(618–907). Originally an indulgence of emperors, cricket-fighting later became popular among commoners.

Beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

-fighting, with such beetles as the

Japanese rhinoceros beetle ''Allomyrina dichotoma'', also known as Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Japanese horned beetle, or , is a species of rhinoceros beetle. Etymology In Japanese, rhinoceros beetles are called . ''Mushi'' is Japanese for insect, and ''kabuto'' is Japan ...

, ''

Xylotrupes socrates ''Xylotrupes socrates'', commonly known as the Siamese rhinoceros beetle or fighting beetle ( th, กว่างชน), is a species of large Scarabaeidae, scarab beetle belonging to the subfamily Dynastinae. It is particularly known for its r ...

'', '' Dorcus titanus'', '' Goliathus'', and

dynastinae Dynastinae or rhinoceros beetles are a subfamily of the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae). Other common names – some for particular groups of rhinoceros beetles – include Hercules beetles, unicorn beetles or horn beetles. Over 1 ...

beetles also occurs, especially in Japan. There is also an online fan community, watching those fights in videos on different platforms. A YouTube community also strives in creating content for insect-fighting.

In popular culture

''Japanese Bug-Fights'' (世界最強虫王決定戦) refers to a more than 58-part

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syst ...

series featuring various kinds of

arachnid Arachnida () is a class of joint-legged invertebrate animals (arthropods), in the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders, whip spiders and vinegar ...

s, and other creatures battling to the death in a little

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

. Only two bugs participate in a fight at a time, and most fights end with one bug killing its opponent. In some cases, the fights end in a draw if neither bug is able to kill its opponent. The Chinese Cricket Championships is a competition where the best cricket-fighters go to Beijing to prove who is the best cricket-fighter. The contest goes on for two days and usually takes place during autumn because that is when crickets are said to be at their prime age. This competition is much different than regular street cricket-fighting because much investment goes into making sure the crickets can perform at their best. It is said that the crickets are given a diet of bean paste and water that helps with their training. How the competition works is each cricket is divided into weight classes much like how human fighters are divided in

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

and in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

Gambling

Insect-fighting attracts

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

that ranges from little bets to large scale type of bets depending where the fighting takes place. The entry-level to insect-fighting is very low as all you need is to get a cricket, spider, or anything that can be forced to fight just to enter. It is a low-risk high reward in terms of investment. With the territory however there is crime and unfortunate deaths that occur as well. In November 2018, the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' reported that an underground fighting ring was discovered in a

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

and bets there went up to 140,000 dollars; two arrests were made. In the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, there has been reported fights that have caused casualties due to disputes over the betting from the spider-fights. A 15-year-old stabbed to death a 13-year-old over an unpaid debt that only amounted to 10 cents, and another incident where a man was killed and another injured when shots were fired after a dispute over the winnings.

References

{{reflist Baiting (blood sport) Insect-related occupations or hobbies

Background

In popular culture

Gambling

See also

References