The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is giving away free temporary bug tattoos! Simply go here and select “TATTOO” under “Item Type” to pull up many different tattoo freebies. Then enter the quantity desired (up to 5), add to cart, and checkout!
A lot of other freebie sites are saying you need to checkout individually if you want different tattoos, but I think that's incorrect. I was able to add three different tattoos to my cart and checkout a single time for all of them.
Here are the tattoo designs I was offered:
- ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE TATTOOS
- MEXICAN FRUIT FLY TATTOOS
- RED IMPORTED FIRE ANT TATTOO
- SPOTTED LANTERN FLY TATTOOS
I've previously posted these a few times and they always go super fast, so don't procrastinate too much if you want some.
What disturbs me about this offer is that it apparently means that our tax dollars are going to pay for the creation of objects that essentially insane, and then pay to have them mailed out. It seems you’re allowed to order up to 2000 tattoos of things that, in all seriousness, have caused a me a great deal of vexation. Like the ash borers that killed my ash tree which I then had to pay to have taken down. Spotted Lantern Flies are a huge threat to our local farms and thus to our food supply, and I stomp on any that I see. Ok, I get the part about the USDA being tasked with educating the public about how truly serious a threat these insects are to the environment. But, temporary tattoos? Really? They’re not cutesy things you give to kids to amuse them. Why would adults want to don them even temporarily while attempting to memorize what they look like and what damage they do? Who thinks this is a good idea? The insects in your photo do not appear to be the evil ones on the list. Some look like ladybugs, which are beneficial insects. There must be better ways to educate the public. Permanently. Well, rant over. Probably no one will read this. Or care. But, geez our civil servants must have better things to do. One of the items on the list is “spine.” I’d like to order a bunch of those and have them mailed to some politicians.