8
Ugh! Fred, What's this crawling across the worktop?
Working in a Museum I get a great many enquiries from the general public. Looking
back over 16 years it is interesting to examine exactly which creepy crawlies catch the
general public's eye. I have found that they can be divided into roughly 3 categories.
1) It has been found in the house, e.g. crawling across the worktop. Even very tiny
creatures, normally un-noticed outside, attract attention if they are in the house and
sometimes cause great worry and consternation.
2) It is large, i.e. being large and unfamiliar inevitably attracts the attention of the
layman who invariably believes it to be a foreign import and hence possibly
dangerous.
3) It is brightly coloured or behaves in an out-of-the-ordinary sort of way, i.e. it attracts
attention and arouses the curiosity of the enquirer.
Predicting the top ten enquiries is not as easy as one might expect. They are not
necessarily the most common invertebrates and indeed some members of the Field Club
may not have seen them all.
1. THE BISCUIT BEETLE (Stegobium paniceum) Far and away the most frequent
enquiry. This is an insect I quickly leamt to identify when I began working at the
Museum. It falls into category 1 and frequently infests stored dried food in
kitchens. It also closely resembles the WOODWORM BEETLE and so is doubly
alarming to the general public who are usually relieved when I tell them that their
potfull of beetles have not been destroying the fabric of their house.
2. THE VINE WEEVIL (Otiorrhynchus sulcatus) This is one of the largest insects
likely to be found crawling around in the house and all the enquiries received are of
wandering adults. Crawling slowly up net curtains, these beetles tend to be
conspicuous and attract attention. People usually worry that they might eat timber
or start chewing their carpets. Many of these beetles emerge from potted plants
where the larvae feed, but I am sure they also come indoors to hibernate and many
of the enquiries are in early spring and autumn.
3. THE SUMMER CHAFER (Amphimallon solstitialis) Large, yellowish-brown and
hairy, this beetle takes to the air between late June and the end of July and
inevitably attracts attention when it lands on the living room carte. Normally males
fly around the tops of tall trees at night, but buildings seem to offer an alternative
and they are even attracted to light near the tops of tall blocks of flats. The fat,
white grubs live underground feeding on grass roots.
4. THE LARGE ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH (Dielephila elpenor) Almost invariably
it is the caterpillar which attracts attention and falls into category 2, though its
behaviour when disturbed also arouses curiosity. Usually it is a fully grown
caterpillar feeding on Fuschia in the garden that is found. The false eyes, snake-like
appearance and 'sting' at the end of its body (i.e. typical horn of a hawk-moth larva)
further adds to the alarm.
5. THE POPLAR HAWK-MOTH (Laothoe populi) Another insect in category 2.
However, the adults are found more than the caterpillars which are less common in
gardens. Few people believe that such a large moth can possibly be British. Very
often the specimens brought in are found in houses and shops, obviously attracted
by light.