I Met an Eastern Hercules Beetle Today

I wasn't sure whether to scream or faint when I saw it lying there on the steps.  It was THE biggest, strangest, and most frightening beetle I've ever seen.  It was on its back with legs in the air.  I skittered past it quickly and hurried upstairs. However, once upstairs I felt sorry for the little creature on it's back - legs slowly pumping, useless in the air.  I took my camera, and righted the creature, taking enough photos to be able to identify it as a Scarab Beetle known as an Eastern Hercules Beetle.

What is a Scarab Beetle?

Other than carvings on Egyptian artifacts I had no clue what a Scarab Beetle was.  I had to look it up.  According to Dictionary.com :

Scarab:

1. any scarbaeid beetle, especially Scarabaeus sacer, regarded as sacred by the ancient Egyptians
2.  a representation or image of a beetle, much used among the ancient Egyptions as a symbol, seal, amulet or the like.
3.  a gen cut to resemble a beetle.

Ah, so that settles it. My visitor was a Scarabaeus sacer.  Except, I didn't know what that was either. So I had to look it up.  The Scarabaeus sacer, otherwise known as a Mediterranean Dung Beetle. Aha! I've seen those on television shows on nature channels.  Yes, Dung Beetles.  Except this prettily painted beetle was not plain black in color. So I had to look some more.

More about the Eastern Hercules Beetle

Hercules Beetles are in the Scarabaeidae family, which include June Beetles, Japaneese Beetles, and Dung Beetles. There we go, I have had some up-close-and-personal experiences with Japaneese and June Beetles.  

The Eastern Hercules Beetle is the largest.  And my visitor was a male as evidenced by his horns.  Mrs. Hercules has no horns and is a bit smaller.  Mr. Hercules can grow to almost 2 1/2 inches long.  

Their colors are varied.  When I look at just his color (and ignore that face and those legs) I am mesmerized. It looks like some sort of beautiful water colored Rorschack test.

Their life span includes egg, larvae, pupae, and adult. I will not share any photos of the eggs, larvae, and pupae because I do not find them at all endearing.  But the adult male - after a few minutes - I began to see him as pretty.  

The good news is, they are not considered pests and can be found both in Maryland and in West Virginia. If I keep my eyes open, I may see another Eastern Hercules Beetle at some point. 

Here are some children, some adorable children who are much more brave than I am. They were brave enough to hold their Mr. Hercules visitor in North Carolina:

My Hercules

I turned him over several times after moving him to the mulch, behind a shrub, and to the shade.  And when I checked on him later I found him belly-up again. And when I checked on him even later. It is a good possibility that he's at the end of his life cycle since they live for less than 6 months as an adult.

After my initial fright, I am glad to have seen this interesting beetle. My interest in scarabs has grown and apparently I am only catching up with many people who like these beetles.

A face only his momma can love

Scarab and Beetle Gifts, Clothing, and Jewelry:

I was aware that Scarabs were a part of Egyptian art and the carved gems are used for jewelry. I've always loved ladybugs. But I had no idea how currently popular Scarab and beetle items are.  And I MUST get the Book of Beetles: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred of Nature's Gems. If you are at all interested in beetles, you can see what this book has to offer in the "look inside" feature.  I can see that my visitor is not the only strange beetle in existence.

THE Book of Beetles

CowCow Women's Skater Dress - Beetles

Egyptian Sterling Silver Scarab Bracelet