June Bugs

This one has been years in the making, but will typically result in common mild rant that I post from time to time.

This one is on June Bugs. Easily one of the most disgusting and atrocious species on the planet. As a man who freely admits that he is scared of a lot of bugs, these suckers really push me to the limit. Spiders are at the top of my list, but most critters can really get me acting like a little school girl. It's pathetic at times.. but it is what it is. These guys though bring me to a whole new level, because for these few weeks every year.. there is no avoiding them. When I come in at night, the light at the front of my apartment building attracts the biggest and baddest of them all. A few nights ago I considered not even going in the house. Only for a second, but the thought was actually considered.



They are attracted to the light, so it is tough to avoid them. Thankfully they are only around for a few weeks and then are nowhere to be found.. but these few weeks are torturous.

Anyone else have to deal with these buggers and have a story to share? We can cope with them together!

Yeah we get them here too. But I really only ever see them squished flat somewhere..EWWWW!
What we deal with are shadflies, or mayflies...Millions of them.
Popping under your feet when you walk..GOD IT"S SO GROSS!!!

www.shadfly.com...
Pretty bad when my city posts an official website of the disgusting things..GEEZ!

I've got a day off today and was doing a bit of laundry. Our apartment building has a laundry room downstairs. On my way down with some stuff, there were a few dead june bugs on the stairs. (I was barefoot)

Needless to say, I took another set of stairs back up and have continued using those stairs since.

I remember last year that there was large amounts of dead june bugs by the door way. I really hope that doesn't happen this year.

reply to post by chissler


Oh gosh Chiss..that would gross me out to no end. In bare feet no less.
Oh man excuse my random 80's moment here but..
Gag me!
That is just barf worthy!
I can just feel my skin crawling at what you described...EWWWW!!!

If you like pushing your phobias, have a look at this.

Apologies in advance.

reply to post by chissler


Oh why did I click the link, why did I click the link, why did I click the link.....

I don't know why June bugs would scare you. I remember as a kid visiting my grandparents farm and they were everywhere in abundance. We used to tie thread to them and give them about 6 feet of slack and they would fly around like a pet on a leash. After an hour or so we would get bored with them or they would get tired and quit flying so we would untie them and let them go about their business again.

reply to post by 1Angrylightbulb


YOU held a bug long enough to tie string to it, and play with it???
Oh god I have shivers going up my spine..
Creepy crawlies...

The June Bugs in Canada look a little different than they do here in the Northwest states. They are much darker in color here. I'm not scared of them, but I don't like them because they lay eggs in the grass and then the growing grubs eat the grass roots and kill patches of grass off.
Brown spots in the grass :bnghd:

I like to dig them up, and feed them to my chickens

Edit to add*

I clicked the link too. I'd love to poke all those bugs with a stick. I could spent hours torturing them I'm wierd!

[edit on 6/10/2008 by jensouth31]

I hate those nasty things! When I go outside at night, I don't turn on a light, because if I do, it's like they're just waiting for me to come out, so they can crash into me. I usually wave my arms around, because I don't want one getting stuck in my hair. It seems like they're always throwing themselves into things, then they either land on their back and start kicking around to get right side up, or they land on their feet and start freaking out again--very spastic. I would hate to step on one of those meaty things--ewwwww.

I'm absolutely terrified of spiders. I remember that thread about Iraqis creating giant spiders, and I was like, please no, please no...

Originally posted by 1Angrylightbulb
I don't know why June bugs would scare you.

Why does anyone have a phobia?

It is an irrational fear, so there really is no legitimate explanation. But I'm thinking anyone who looks at the image above for more than a few seconds could probably fathom a few reasons to why someone wouldn't want to be around them.

They are just disgusting.

The other night when I came home I was breathing a little heavy because I ran by them and up the stairs. My girlfriend asked me why I ran up the stairs and I said because the june bugs were there. She then took it upon herself to let me know that there were two june bugs on my back. I pulled my shirt off and did a jig around the living room in hysterics. ...She thought it was funny. (I didn't have any bugs on me) Agh! :bnghd:

reply to post by chissler


The only time I have ever had problems with junebugs is when I was in California one summer on July 4th.
My friends and I were all outside messing around and junebugs were everywhere!
I went inside for a bit, the guys decided to gather up a ton of bugs into a container.
When I came out, my arms were held back, and all the bugs were shaken out down my shirt!
Horrid, I tell you!
I bet they got a kick from me screaming, jumping up and down
and flashing them trying to shake them off!
Spiiders freak me out, nothing is worse than them!

It's okay though I torchered them with firecrackers later lol!






[edit on 6/11/2008 by Givenmay]

Originally posted by AccessDenied
reply to post by 1Angrylightbulb

 

YOU held a bug long enough to tie string to it, and play with it???
Oh god I have shivers going up my spine..
Creepy crawlies...

A guy I knew in High School use to catch ordinary flies in his hand, stun them by throwing them against a hard surface, pluck a long hair out of his head and tie it onto one of the fly's legs, wait for it to wake up then fly it around for jollies.

It absolutely fascinating to watch.

reply to post by chissler


The brown type, like the one in your photo, is not what I've always known as June Bugs......They are May Beetles according to this site

Here's what I call a June bug....


The brown ones are attracted to light, and are to be found in abundance at my back door, under the porch light. I don't wish to overly alarm you.....but I've noticed over the past few years that they are getting bigger!

The green ones are what I would call the real June Bugs ...they are larger than the brown ones,( but are about the same size as ever) and have a different, strong smell. They do not appear to be attracted to light....none on the back porch. They are abundant around the barn, because they hatch from there, being they are dung beetles.

When I was a child, we too would catch them and tie a length of Grandma's sewing thread to one of their back legs. They would then whirr around at the end of the string, making something of a play thing to amuse us.....( this was a number of years ago, when there were fewer ways to amuse a bunch of bored kids during the summer!)

Yuck, I hate beatles!

When I was in Texas, I was sitting on a couch next to a wall and a huge beatle the size of my thumb was running across the back my head. I could hear the footprints on the wall and it was hissing. So discusting that I had to smash it with my shoe then clean the wall. The guts where green and yellow!

I'm having problems with tiny spiders in my room. I'm thinking time for a bug bomb!

Ah, those critters are beautifully colored. There is no ugly, really, just different and smaller.

Originally posted by pikypiky
There is no ugly, really, just different and smaller.

Very well said.

However, if there ever was an ugly.. these buggers would be as close as one could get.

We have something similar here in France, but they are called "Août" bugs (august).

They are minute, almost invisible, and have given me many a sleepless night. Itchy, scrftchy little blighters.

One day the bugs will rule again!

If you want to have a bug phobia, here's a good place to start......and yes, it's real.



Not to worry, it's native to South America ( South American longhorn beetle (Titanus giganteus), so not likely to turn up in Canada.......'cept maybe in a museum!

Being barefoot right now, I'm incapable of putting them back down on the floor.

Damn you!