June Bug/Beetle Help

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ncaptiva Fort Myers, FL May 17, 2010

It's that time of year again for the June Beetle swarms, and I was hoping someone here could either answer a few questions for me, or point me in the right direction. I can't seem to find a really great, informative article on these crazy beetles. I live in South Florida, and when I was up in southern North Carolina, we had these June Bugs just as bad. When the outside lights are left on, they come pouring in from the woods by the dozens. They fly erratically, slam into everything (walls, lights, etc), and eventually, every single one of them ends up on the ground, upside down. If I try to help them turn over, they end up pushing themselves right back over on their backs. At some point, they stop squirming & I assume they've died. But by morning, every single one of them is gone! I've even swept or moved all of them into a "pile" just to see if it'll still be there by morning, and sure enough, they're all gone when I wake up.

Oh yeah & I even took a video of the droves of june bugs last year in NC... it's posted here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh2J7H8_pLU As you'll hear, I assumed they all died every night, because I thought the animals got rid of them somehow, or my mom swept them off the porch. Not the case...

Their behavior is so bizarre that I'm really curious about why they behave the way they do, and what really happens to them every night. Thanks!

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melody Benton, KY(Zone 7a) May 19, 2010

They do the same here at my house too. (and they're here by the gazillions now) I think bats may eat them if they get off the ground and toads eat them on the ground. My toads love them and I'm pretty sure that they're responsible for the 'clean up' each morning.

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