Two Nine Bugs

Long ago, when I was but a tot, my grandmother used to admonish me for lingering in the doorway too long.  It was hard to scurry in the doorway and not slam that screen door so I would dally around long enough for her to scold me.  This was always done in a nice way as I never remember her ever being harsh.  Still, I would be told to "Hurry in before the Nine Bugs follow you!" A lot of folks nowadays would not have a clue as to what she did not want in her house!  Not many have ever heard of a Nine Bug.  This was Grandmother's name for the June Beetle which is one of the many Scarabs that inhabit the Coast.  Also known as a May Beetle, the bug has a habit of flying into the house as it seeks out the light.  These are the small beetles that you see bouncing off the walls of the porch if the light is left burning for any length of time.  They have poor directional skills, obviously, as they never can seem to find a safe destination.  Perhaps the light disorients them but they seem to careen off any unmovable object that they can find!

Grandmother never liked them to be in her house.  Her pet name of "Nine Bug" came about because she always claimed that "When you open the door to let one out, nine more come inside!"  At that rate, the house soon would be crawling with the critters!  I understand her point as it does seem that each time you try to be humane and "catch and release" a Nine Bug, it does not want to leave!  It will cling to your hand causing you to have to spend several minutes "ungripping" the critter.  During those minutes, a whole slew of other bugs make the mad dash to enter the house!  Then they fly around trying to escape the very confines that they so desperately wanted to enter!  Yep, Nine Bugs are not something you want to spend the evening catching!

I found two June Bugs..umm..trying to become nine.  They were dangling on the wisteria vine outside the front door when I let Ms. Ez out for her evening trot down the hill.  I suppose that I should have squished the two of them when I had the opportunity because now the lawn will be besieged by those white grub worms that munch on the roots.  They are one and the same.  The lawn and garden will suffer dearly because of these grubs but at least the adults do not bite!  Yep, I should have squished them while I had the chance but it just seemed rude to interrupt them at the moment.