CityNews – August 22, Chiang Mai vendors, along the roadside of Rattanakosin road, make extra income by finding scarab beetles and selling them to beetle fighters, cashing in on the ideal season for beetle foraging.
The price starts from 100 baht, depending on the beetles’ figure, colours, and horns and vendors can make at least 1,000 baht of extra income a day.
Scarab beetle fighting is practiced locally and a bigger annual fight is held in Doi Lo to win prizes and trophies.
According to Chutipon Kongma, 32, who has sold scarab beetles on Rattanakosin road for over eight years, this period of time is a season that scarab beetles are fully grown and come out of the ground for breeding. These scarab beetles’ live for around 90 days. He added that lots of people find beetles in the forest areas of Doi Saket, Chiang Dao, and Doi Suthep. Besides finding the beetles himself, Chutipon has also bought them from other villagers for 50 baht each. The most money he ever made from one beetle is 5,000 baht, says Chutipon.
According to Kriangsak Maliwan, 36, another scarab beetle vendor, who has sold the beetles for over 18 years in the same area, scarab beetle fighting is a way to conserve scarab beetles in the north, the next generations know how to play and feed scarab beetles, he says.