8 replies to this topic

[JJK5]

Well it's late but i'll post this anyways...

What kind of large beetles are native to Rhode Island?  I was literally just woken up to some commotion out in my living room.  I turned on all the lights looking for the source of the clatter and eventually spied a largeish (~1"+ in length) brown beetle near the back of my TV.  At first I thought it was a small cockroach which would have really upset me, but it had a shell of sorts over it's wings and didn't run from the light.  I unfortunately hacked at the thing with a broom handle so it's sort of hard to identify it now.  Just curious what kinds of beetles are native to Rhode Island as i've never seen one this large in a home before.  The noise it was making flying into walls or whatever literally got me out of bed, so he was no small beast.  The topside of the beetle was a medium to light brown in color.  Wish I had spared him now, but oh well.

[gregw]

JJK5, on Jul 28 2006, 02:51 AM, said:

Well it's late but i'll post this anyways...

What kind of large beetles are native to Rhode Island?  I was literally just woken up to some commotion out in my living room.  I turned on all the lights looking for the source of the clatter and eventually spied a largeish (~1"+ in length) brown beetle near the back of my TV.  At first I thought it was a small cockroach which would have really upset me, but it had a shell of sorts over it's wings and didn't run from the light.  I unfortunately hacked at the thing with a broom handle so it's sort of hard to identify it now.  Just curious what kinds of beetles are native to Rhode Island as i've never seen one this large in a home before.  The noise it was making flying into walls or whatever literally got me out of bed, so he was no small beast.  The topside of the beetle was a medium to light brown in color.  Wish I had spared him now, but oh well.

Sounds like it might have been a cicada that accidentally got inside. Not technically a beetle, but they makes lots of noise (the high-pitch buzzing you hear all the time during the day at this time of year) and go through a molting stage which might explain the shell over the wings.

[Frankie811]

gregw, on Jul 28 2006, 07:54 AM, said:

Sounds like it might have been a cicada that accidentally got inside.

Oh great! First Portuguese men-of-war and now cicadas. Were being invaded from the South.  

[JJK5]

Well I don't know if Cicadas are invading or not.  I googled around and narrowed it down to Grapevine Beetle.



Wikipedia

It doesn't explicitly say they're native to New England and I've certainly never seen one around before.  I did get a large package yesterday that originated in Kentucky, maybe the little guy was a stow-away.  

Edited by JJK5, 28 July 2006 - 07:58 AM.

[Frankie811]

JJK5, on Jul 28 2006, 09:56 AM, said:

It doesn't explicitly say they're native to New England and I've certainly never seen one around before.  I did get a large package yesterday that originated in Kentucky, maybe the little guy was a stow-away.  

Like in the movie "Arachnophobia". Phew, had to go to the dictionary for that one  

[runawayjim]

i've seen large brownish beetles here before, usually outside in the grass, but i've also seen them on sidewalks.  they were about an inch or so in length, kind of a shiny brown.  i don't know what kind of beetle it is though.

june bugs (or june beetles) can get quite large.  i have a feeling that's what you heard.  they're the ones that fly into things and make a lot of noise when they hit walls and stuff.  they're attracted to light.  if you have an outdoor light, you usually see them sitting on the side of  your house or flying around it.  they're fun because when they land, they tend to lock up.  you can flick them and toss them and they don't move until after they hit the ground.

http://www.cirrusima...eetles_June.htm

Edited by runawayjim, 28 July 2006 - 08:59 AM.

[ruchele]

Yeah, definitely sounds like a junebug to me.  Those are really common. (they don't have the dots like in that picture you posted, and they're darker brown).   Those suckers are loud and DUMB.

[gregw]

I once had a june bug (a really big one!) get stuck in my hair. Seriously considered shaving my head afterwards.

[runawayjim]

i wish i had taken a picture of it, but there was a huge black beetle on the sidewalk right by my front steps.

i also saw a cicada today being eaten by a large wasp/hornet type thing.