In the backyard, we have a wood pile and a fire circle. Long ago we put small logs around the fire circle to be used as seats. One day as I propped up some logs against these seats so I could chop kindling for a camping trip, I missed (dreadfully), and my ax slammed down on the log. The rotten log broke apart, exposing a host of interesting insects. Henry and Jackie, excited, picked through it. There they discovered a bess beetle, which immediately became their newest pet. They put it in a disposable plastic container with a few twigs, some grass, a tiny puddle of water, and no lid, and played with it until we left for our camping trip. It wasn't until we were half an hour away and locked in the campsite, that I remembered that that beetle was still lounging in his habitat, lid free, on our kitchen counter. What's the worst that could happen?, I thought. (I think that a lot.) This is a pretty big beetle, so the thought of it roaming freely in our house wasn't comfortable, but I can think of other bugs I like less and see more. The bess beetle is really kind of cute--it makes a hissing (or some call it kissing) sound when handled.
The next day, we came home to find the habitat vacated--no bess beetle in sight.
Several hours after we returned home, we finally found Bessie. She was lodged in the carpet in our family room right in the middle of the highest traffic area. I had probably walked by her a dozen times already on my way to put away camping gear. Removing Bessie from the carpet was exactly like removing a tick from someone's skin. She just didn't want to let go. So I gently pulled for about five minutes before she finally let go of the carpet, taking a few fibers with her.
I'm generally pretty tolerant of fun things like beetles in the house. But Bessie went right back home to her rotten log, where within seconds she disappeared.
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| Lodged in the carpet |
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