#may bugs

Inktober day one. (It’s a late one)

Well...   Jake caught something.

He will be his new friend from now on. His name is Wesley and he is a may bug.

I Know It’s May when...

This weirdo shows up to bash itself against my window at night while I am writing away on my fan fiction. 

The UK’s “May Bug”, AKA “Cockchafer” or Melolontha melolontha. It’s in the same family as scarab and other dung beetles. It’s the largest of that group in the UK (there are almost 90 species of dung/scarabs in the UK) but this is the biggest. And they are BIG. Think the size of your thumb. 

In spite of its slightly frightening size and noisy flight, the adult Cockchafer is harmless. Although the adults eat the leaves of trees and shrubs, they rarely cause any significant damage in the UK. However, cherry and plum orchards in southern Europe sometimes suffer economic losses from Cockchafer feeding. 

According to insectweek.so.uk, “When they are flying, in the evening, Cockchafers are often heard before they are seen: their flight itself makes a strong whirring noise, but they also sometimes make a clatter when they accidently fly into the windows of lighted rooms.”

Yup, that is EXACTLY when and where it happens. I keep my windows closed now. But they will still spend hours basking themselves against the windows.