Beetle invasion in Texas Yuck!! Nasty!!!!

In May 2001, there was a plague of black beetles through west Texas. Buildings, roads and lights were covered. Towns smelled of squashed beetle (a nasty sweet scent). I filmed these black ground beetles while out storm chasing. Not for the sqeamish! This could give you nightmares!

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• beetle
• insect
• bug
• Texas
• invasion
• plague
• Carabidae
• coleoptera
• nasty
• yuck
• gross

[Outtathesem]

Could you even walk without stepping on them? You should have filmed some footage with actual people trying to walk around.

[danaus]

@Outtathesem

In places, one couldn't walk without stepping on them. When driving into town, there was a continual crunching as the wheels passed over beatles. A sweet sickly smell hung over the town from crushed beetle.

[Darkboy132]

I dont get this. How can the recorder stand right in the middle of the Beetle Invasion and not get crawled on?

Lol so many beetles!

[danaus]

Yeah, I had beetles landing me, flying in my hair etc. Yuck. They also smell bad when crushed.

[IcedDragon1]

Any idea on which species this exactly was?

Did this have something to do with migration due to a storm?

[danaus]

They are ground beetles in the Carabidae family. They eat armyworm caterpillars but during the overpopulation, they were eating other insects and each other. I think the increased number of beetles was due to the weather that year. There were also large numbers of certain moths and other insects. Since 2001, I have only seen a few of the same beetles in Texas. 2001 was an unusual year.

[HYPOSTRIPE]

WOW I'D LOVE TO HAVE SEEN THAT

[thekitteninthetree]

omg O_o never seen so many beetles. Awsome :D xD

[deepengrave]

The mummy is real!!!!!

[rattlingtotheend]

I actually kinda like the smell they make when they are threatened or squashed...

[Shade374]

I shuddered while watching this and I felt like I was covered in bugs xDDDD

[memo2rem]

what are those grren insects, their babies?????

[PaulHaws84]

why did it happen?

[DaftG343]

Someone get a flamethrower!

[neheobthe1st]

OMG!! YOU LUCKY BUM!! do you no how long iv been turning over logs to find beetles HALF the size as some of those?!? and you could practicaly get one by just standing there?! pleas tell me! are they still there? im looking for beetles to give to my entomology teacher for extra credit!.... your so lucky! or i guees in YOUR case, unlucky! :)

[unitard08]

these things have invaded my yard!!! they crash land into the owning of our back deck and we come outside the next day with hundreds o f beetle corpses and ant trails on our concrete!!! i want to know how to get rid of them, they drive me crazy!

[timwumushifreak]

I grab one male and one female if possible but jus' look at that.... SO MANY!!!!!!!!