The first billywitch of the year.

dreamdaisy

I loathe 'em, detest 'em, hate 'em with a passion I didn't know I had until I moved to Suffolk and discovered these weird, flying 'raw' prawns. You may know them better as cockchafers (and looking at 'em you can see why they would ). I guess the recent heat has woken them and one battered into our front window a little earlier. They are the oddest things. I don't know why they are called billywitches - I was told that it may be something to do with the fact that they hatch in chimneys and, when first flying, make a droning sound similar to the Ipswich Witches (our local speedway team) but I don't know if that is true. I do know this, however; they are foul and warn that the time of the flying stag beetle approaches. :shock: I will be staying indoors. DD

Numptydumpty

I'd never heard them called that, we always called them May bugs, around here though, they call them Spang beetles. it seems they have quite a few aliases. :?

numptynora

I've never heard of them either but they sound revolting...yuk yuk

frogmorton

:shock:

Poor you DD - I know how much you dislike them

Let's hope they don't trouble you too much.

Anyone else seen more than usual supply of ANTS??

jillyb1

We get " summer beetles " here too ; the local kids head to the top of the hill near where we live , armed with their tennis rackets and swat them for hours ! Simple pleasures down here on the south downs ! Jillyb