Just Buggy

Years ago when I was expecting Yaks, we lived in the basement of our home, while we rented out the upstairs.

Our overgrown yard the summer we moved in - 2004

One morning I woke up, and Josh recounted a creepy story that happened the night before. I had gone to bed early, and when Josh came to bed, he found something sitting right on top of our bedspread, and right NEXT to me! He brought in a Tupperware container, which held a three inch by two inch beetle, complete with huge spiny legs, two antennae, and a body that would surely crunch if you stepped on it. YUCK! It was hideous, and what’s worse…it HISSED when provoked! Yes, I said hissed. We looked it up in the book, and the only thing that closely matched it was a cockroach. I didn’t think it could be that. We’d have millions of the little buggers scurrying around the house! So, Josh worried, and I decided to get to the bottom of it.

Good old USU (go Aggies!) had a Dept. of Agriculture office in downtown Salt Lake, where you could take in any sort of bug, and they'd identify it for you! So, Boo and I took our stroller and the bug to go see. I unveiled the bug to the front receptionist and asked her if someone could help me identify my bug. She said she could, and opened the lid and picked. it.up! She said, “Oh, it’s beautiful!” She showed it to her co-workers, who were equally impressed with the beautiful specimen! So, I asked, “Can you tell me if it’s a roach?” They looked at me as though I had offended them! “Oh, no…it’s a Long Horned beetle. I’ve never seen one this large before! It’s gorgeous!” She then called in MAGGIE, who was the expert of the office, and knew everything…EVERYTHING about the Long Horned beetle. Apparently, they lay dormant underground for a period of time, feeding on trees with pits (cherries, peaches, etc), and then they emerge as beetles to die.

Then she asked, “Can we keep it?” I said sure, and she offered to rinse the container and give it back to me. “That’s okay, you can keep it!” So, I bade farewell to our crunchy friend, and wished it a happy life with people who love it, and went home to tell a relieved Josh that we don’t have a roach infestation. Just a long-horned beetle that must have hitched a ride on one of us (shudder) and wound up in our bed!

Hi Beetles!

Today, we took the opportunity to visit the Insect Expo, put on by the Entomology Department on campus. They had several tables of displays of various insects, life cycles, activities, crafts, etc.

The kids had a fun time. After waiting forever in line, Boo and Yaks even got their faces painted.



Kids were walking around with bumble bees, praying manti, butterflies, etc.



I had to take Diddles out to the car, so we awaited the kids' return to the car to see what they had painted. Boo:
A beautiful pink butterfly.

Yaks: A....Uhh...huh? A sheep. Of course! Josh said, "The lady asked what he wanted, and he said, "A sheep!"