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| UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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Large black Beetles
Over the last couple of weeks, I've found 5 beetles wandering about in
my house. 4 on the 2nd floor and one in the first floor bathroom, suprisingly, none on the ground floor. They're quite big. 1/2" in size and black. I really don't like sharing my bed with these critters and I can't think where they might be coming from. They can't have all flown in through the window can they? Has anyone got any ideas of where I should be looking or what might be attracting them? |
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#2
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wrote in message ups.com... Over the last couple of weeks, I've found 5 beetles wandering about in my house. 4 on the 2nd floor and one in the first floor bathroom, suprisingly, none on the ground floor. They're quite big. 1/2" in size and black. I really don't like sharing my bed with these critters and I can't think where they might be coming from. They can't have all flown in through the window can they? Has anyone got any ideas of where I should be looking or what might be attracting them? Your roof void could be harbouring them. Did you have birds nesting in your eaves or on the roof itself? |
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#3
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Your roof void could be harbouring them. Did you have birds nesting in your
eaves or on the roof itself? Ugh, don't tell me I'm going to have to venture in to the loft? It's dark up there! I have to say, I don't look up there much. I haven't noticed any accumulated droppings on the floor (that's a sign of a nest, right?) Last year, a pidgeon kept fluttering past the bedroom windows, I wondered if it was nesting. Is that too long ago to be significant? |
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#4
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wrote in message oups.com... Your roof void could be harbouring them. Did you have birds nesting in your eaves or on the roof itself? Ugh, don't tell me I'm going to have to venture in to the loft? It's dark up there! I have to say, I don't look up there much. I haven't noticed any accumulated droppings on the floor (that's a sign of a nest, right?) Last year, a pidgeon kept fluttering past the bedroom windows, I wondered if it was nesting. Is that too long ago to be significant? Pigeons last year would be a bit to long ago I'd have thought, so something more recent than that really. Have the pigeons returns? Maybe not to the same spot in the roof space though. It may even be bats or other types of bird nesting that could be somewhere in the loft space or another void that is open to them. Beetles are the types of things you also find around rotting wood, depending on their type of course, so it might be a sign of a small yet un-noticed leak or dry mould somewhere. Not knowing what type of beetle they are for sure, so the diagnosis is only coming from things that it could be that attract beetles. |
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#5
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Not knowing what type of beetle they are for sure, so the diagnosis is only
coming from things that it could be that attract beetles. I've had a look around the web, and the beetles I've seen look frightningly similar to these critters... http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th7h.htm |
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#6
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wrote in message oups.com... Not knowing what type of beetle they are for sure, so the diagnosis is only coming from things that it could be that attract beetles. I've had a look around the web, and the beetles I've seen look frightningly similar to these critters... http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th7h.htm That's what I thought. They live on the left overs of where birds and things have made nests. They aren't a pest, as it says on the site you linked to, but they can breed and make life hell if they have a constant food supply. They also return to places where they have not been disturbed, for their breeding cycle. It might be a good idea to have a look around for a recent birds nest or squirrel lair around the house. Have you noticed any fox runs anywhere around your property? http://insected.arizona.edu/mealinfo.htm |
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#7
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On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 04:40:29 GMT, "BigWallop"
wrote: Beetles are the types of things you also find around rotting wood, No you don't. There are very few UK beetle species that will be attracted by rotting wood (meaning indoor construction timber, not treestumps). It'll attract woodlice like a magnet, but not beetles |
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#8
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"Andy Dingley" wrote in message ... On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 04:40:29 GMT, "BigWallop" wrote: Beetles are the types of things you also find around rotting wood, No you don't. There are very few UK beetle species that will be attracted by rotting wood (meaning indoor construction timber, not treestumps). It'll attract woodlice like a magnet, but not beetles I'm glad you said that, Andy, I was going to but thought better of it - it's important to be believed :-) Mary |
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#9
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On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 19:51:02 +0100, Andy Dingley wrote:
On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 04:40:29 GMT, "BigWallop" wrote: Beetles are the types of things you also find around rotting wood, No you don't. There are very few UK beetle species that will be attracted by rotting wood (meaning indoor construction timber, not treestumps). It'll attract woodlice like a magnet, but not beetles You are sure they are not June bugs? They fly around the Westcountry at this time of year and have hard wing casings which crunch alarmingly when you step on them. More alarming for them I guess. Don't do a lot of harm I think unless you eat too many. -- Jim Tyneside UK |
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#10
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"Andy Dingley" wrote in message ... On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 04:40:29 GMT, "BigWallop" wrote: Beetles are the types of things you also find around rotting wood, No you don't. There are very few UK beetle species that will be attracted by rotting wood (meaning indoor construction timber, not treestumps). It'll attract woodlice like a magnet, but not beetles OH OH!!! You'd better the beetles that then. There have been many sightings of foreign imports to this country in the last few decades, and they all seem to be thriving. http://www.kendall-bioresearch.co.uk/woodworm.htm gives a few bits of info' on these bugs, and the whole site has many pages full of the different creepy crawlies you'll find on our shores. |
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#11
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#12
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The beetles are probably feeding on a corpse
If you're trying to make me feel better about this infestation, it isn't working. Besides, I keep all my dead bodies in the freezer and that's in the basement. |
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#13
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#14
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#15
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"madmax" wrote in message ... On 12 Jul 2005 16:05:34 -0700, wrote: Over the last couple of weeks, I've found 5 beetles wandering about in my house. 4 on the 2nd floor and one in the first floor bathroom, suprisingly, none on the ground floor. They're quite big. 1/2" in size and black. I really don't like sharing my bed with these critters and I can't think where they might be coming from. They can't have all flown in through the window can they? Has anyone got any ideas of where I should be looking or what might be attracting them? They sound to me like what we used to call "black beetles" - unimaginatively :-) Sometimes "Black Clocks". Whatever they are, they're harmless. They're not in your bed (they wouldn't want to share it with you). They're very small compared with you, they don't sting or bite and aren't vectors for disease. If you look at them closely you'll see that they're very beautiful. What's your problem? Mary |
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#16
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On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 10:25:36 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote: What's your problem? If I eat 2 pizas plius 2 cabsov next morning I have a distended belly. I think my problem is wheat intolerreance. |
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#17
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"madmax" wrote in message ... On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 10:25:36 +0100, "Mary Fisher" wrote: What's your problem? If I eat 2 pizas plius 2 cabsov next morning I have a distended belly. I think my problem is wheat intolerreance. There's no wheat in green slugs. Mary |
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#18
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On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 23:12:13 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote: There's no wheat in green slugs. As Shirley Conran said in one of her cookbooks, "Life's too short to stuff a slug" |
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#19
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#20
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In article , AlexW
wrote: You might want to see what your local council's pest control dept has to say about them (have you kept a specimen?). They usually provide reasonably cost effective eradication services too. It's a black beetle for heaven's sake. They don't pose any harm at all to humans. Leave them alone and marvel at the beauty of nature. -- AJL Electronics (G6FGO) Ltd : Satellite and TV aerial systems http://www.classicmicrocars.co.uk : http://www.ajlelectronics.co.uk |
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#21
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Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics) wrote:
In article , AlexW wrote: You might want to see what your local council's pest control dept has to say about them (have you kept a specimen?). They usually provide reasonably cost effective eradication services too. It's a black beetle for heaven's sake. They don't pose any harm at all to humans. Leave them alone and marvel at the beauty of nature. IMO its worth finding out more if they are bothering the OP (which is seems they are). At least then you might have an idea why they are appearing in the house on the 1st & 2nd floors. There are five so far, which is no problem to anyone, if there were more on the way then they might become a nuisance, hence eradication info might be desirable. Its a question of scale really and of the location of the marvels of nature. Alex |
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#22
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"AlexW" wrote in message ... IMO its worth finding out more if they are bothering the OP (which is seems they are). I've asked in what way they're bothering him - no reply as yet. Mary |
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#23
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In article ,
"Mary Fisher" wrote: IMO its worth finding out more if they are bothering the OP (which is seems they are). I've asked in what way they're bothering him - no reply as yet. Yes - we noticed! Bloody hell, you've done it now .... For chrissake Mary -- I wish I were half as effing perfect as you a 3 of every 4 posts you make (here and elsewhere) are full of smug little lectures to people on how they ought to improve themselves, and how 'this', 'that' or 'the other' has never bothered _you_, or how _you_ have been doing it for years, or how people might like to emulate your own perfect little life in some way or another. Did it ever occur to you that the Original Poster might have a phobia for insects, beetles, or whatever? Did it ever occur to you that he might actually love beetles, but not in those numbers, and not in his flipping bedroom? Do you have no phobias? (i.e. unreasoning horror of a particular thing)? Ah yes you do: you can't stand people not coming up to your own standards, can you. What did you do before you retired? Headmistress in a private Girls' Finishing School? "Hope this helps" John p.s. to the OP: check that page where you found your beetle pictu http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th7h.htm ... you may not have sufficient night light discipline! |
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#24
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"Mary Fisher" wrote in news:42d5001c$0$28623
: I've asked in what way they're bothering him - no reply as yet. Well said, John. And if you stopped preaching for a second and looked at the post.... "They're quite big. 1/2" in size and black. I really don't like sharing my bed with these critters " What more do you need? Or is it just that annoyedtuna'a reasons are not good enough for you, and therefore not acceptable? mike |
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#25
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In article , AlexW
wrote: IMO its worth finding out more if they are bothering the OP (which is seems they are). Oh dear what a shame. Some strange nature phobia perhaps? There are five so far, which is no problem to anyone, if there were more on the way then they might become a nuisance, hence eradication info might be desirable. No, not desirable at all. If there is a real problem, then you prevent them getting in, not kill them. -- AJL Electronics (G6FGO) Ltd : Satellite and TV aerial systems http://www.classicmicrocars.co.uk : http://www.ajlelectronics.co.uk |
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#26
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Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics) wrote:
In article , AlexW wrote: snip No, not desirable at all. If there is a real problem, then you prevent them getting in, not kill them. Hmm ... OK agree with that if feasible, and assuming they are coming from outside. But... What if the source of the of the beetles is something within the building or fabric of the building, rotten timber or something else for example. If removal of habitat is no feasible then eradication /might/ be the answer. We have some very old beams with some very big flight holes, uninhabited for many years, but if active I would not wan't whatever was in them dropping on me whilst I am sleeping - phobia or not. Also, might need to know more about habitat pref's etc of said unidentified beetle to understand likeley entry points etc etc. Alex. |
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#28
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On 13 Jul 2005 22:06:34 GMT, Rod wrote:
I thought that the ovipositor was the most frightening sting ever. But apparently harmless to humans. Harmless to Sigourney Weaver maybe. OTOH, put yourself in the wasp's position. That's its knob you're talking about, not a sting. It may well feel quite protective about the thing and not at all likely to go jabbing it into critters who have evolved opposable thumbs to hold fly swatters with. |
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#29
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"Rod" wrote in message . 4... Tonight I saw my first ever Horntail (aka Horsetail or Wood Wasp - Urocerus gigas, I think), on our kitchen curtain. I thought that the ovipositor was the most frightening sting ever. But apparently harmless to humans. http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/R69966.HTM I would hate to meet one of these in the bathroom!!! Even though it's harmless to humans? You're unlikely to see it in your bathroom, it's unusual for them to go into a house. Mary -- Rod |
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#30
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In message , Mary
Fisher writes "Rod" wrote in message .4... Tonight I saw my first ever Horntail (aka Horsetail or Wood Wasp - Urocerus gigas, I think), on our kitchen curtain. I thought that the ovipositor was the most frightening sting ever. But apparently harmless to humans. http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/R69966.HTM I would hate to meet one of these in the bathroom!!! Even though it's harmless to humans? You're unlikely to see it in your bathroom, it's unusual for them to go into a house. What, they don't shower every day disgusting -- geoff |
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#31
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"Mary Fisher" wrote in
. net: Even though it's harmless to humans? Yes - bleary eyed, half asleep in the middle of the night. Definitely not what I want to see. You're unlikely to see it in your bathroom, it's unusual for them to go into a house. Are they more common in kitchens? That's where ours was. -- Rod |
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#32
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"Rod" wrote in message . 4... "Mary Fisher" wrote in . net: Even though it's harmless to humans? Yes - bleary eyed, half asleep in the middle of the night. Definitely not what I want to see. You're unlikely to see it in your bathroom, it's unusual for them to go into a house. Are they more common in kitchens? That's where ours was. Is your kitchen in your house? If so, no. Mary -- Rod |
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#33
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"Mary Fisher" wrote in
. net: Are they more common in kitchens? That's where ours was. Is your kitchen in your house? If so, no. Yes - pretty standard kitchen-like location - inside the house, in fact just inside the back door. So chances of finding one indoors at all = low. and, of the rooms to find one in, kitchen approx. = bathroom? Hence dislike of idea of finding one in bathroom is as well-founded as a similar feeling that others may have about the kitchen? Both rooms had windows open. -- Rod |
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