Sep 2 2009
The bug
One warm August night a few weeks ago, Mike pointed out a big, stripey bug on our front porch. None of us had ever seen anything like it!
So we looked up the big bug, and found out it was a June bug. This site said:
Ten-lined June beetle Polyphylla decemlineata Family Scarabaeidae
Identifying Features: Large size, brown and white stripes, silky hairs on sides.
This impressive beetle is most readily seen in July and August as the males fly about in search of females. They are attracted to night lights, and the large parking lights of a store complex can be swarmed with these. The males antennae are large and antler like, and they are used to sniff out the scent of females. This beetle lives as a larvae in the soil for three years before coming an adult and during this time it eats roots, which does not endear them to tree crop growers. The adults feed on conifer needles during their brief life above ground and also can feed on walnuts or apple tree leaves. If you dare to pick up one of these beetles it will probably make a loud wankkkk sort of squeak, kind of like a toy baby doll.
Lucy, braver than any of us, proclaimed she was going to pick it up to see if it would squeak…but in the end, didn’t do it.
I think she’ll stick to ladybugs.
Sep 02, 2009 @ 08:19:59
I wonder if this one was a girl. I don’t see any “large and antler like antennae.”
Sep 02, 2009 @ 08:22:10
I’m glad you took pictures. This bug looked like he’d stepped out of a box of chocolate candies.
Sep 02, 2009 @ 18:25:07
wow that’s cool, and the pictures are amazing! the little entomologist.