sandy@wjvax (04/25/86)
The other day I was watering a tree and I saw this huge black beetle come out of the bushes. It was about 2 inches by 1-1/2 with a black shiny shell. It looked like the smaller black beetles that I normally see around only it was much bigger. Does anyone know what this beetle is? And is it harmful to the garden? Is it the famed "japanese beetle" that other posters have been talking about in net.garden?
kolling@decwrl (04/27/86)
> I saw this huge black beetle...... It was about 2 inches by 1-1/2 > with a black shiny shell. The other day I bought some sacks of manure and, as I was spreading it in my garden, one of these monsters ambled away from the vicinity of the sacks and started across the driveway. As I was swooning away into a dead faint (not in the direction of the manure), a hero bluejay swooped down, and, with some work, had the monster for lunch. Long live the birdies. The monster wasn't a Japanese beetle; I believe it was a relative of Godzilla, myself.
richard@vlad.UUCP (05/03/86)
Two possibilities -if the thing had a snout about 1/2 inch long then it was a rhinocerous beetle if not then it was the thing known as a "June Bug". If you think turning over a pile and finding one is unnerving just try tripping over one in the dark (happened once) or have a herd of them fly by!. Richard Karasik ...sun!arete!richard
dms@ihlpg.UUCP (Spang) (05/16/86)
> > > I saw this huge black beetle...... It was about 2 inches by 1-1/2 > > with a black shiny shell. > > The other day I bought some sacks of manure and, as I was spreading it > in my garden, one of these monsters ambled away from the vicinity of > the sacks and started across the driveway. As I was swooning away > into a dead faint (not in the direction of the manure), a hero bluejay > swooped down, and, with some work, had the monster for lunch. Long > live the birdies. The monster wasn't a Japanese beetle; I believe it > was a relative of Godzilla, myself. I grew up in the rural Illinois in the middle of the soybean fields. These pincher beetles were really common. As we played in our front yard we could look up thte street a *block* and see one of the monsters heading for us. We immediately retreated to the safety of the house. It seems that they particularly enjoyed our neighbors tobacco crop. Since I've moved to the 'burbs I have not seen a one except on a return visit to Dixon. I find that June bugs give me the same feeling of dread as those black horrors. Debbie Spang