Subject: Male Eastern Hercules Beetle
Geographic location of the bug: Meridianville, Alabama
Date: 06/09/2018
Time: 11:16 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: If you ever wondered how tough these are, well, I met this one by accidentally stepping on him at a gas station! I felt something under my foot that shouldn’t have been there — then felt it pushing back up at me! As it turns out, I’d stunned the poor fellow, so I collected him and brought him the few miles home. After getting these photos, I let him loose onto a tall plant on my back porch. Apparently, he was feeling much more spry by this point, as he clambered right to the top of the plant and promptly had to hold on for dear life as it bent over under his huge weight! I hope he will have taken off into the nearby woods by the time sunrise comes.
How you want your letter signed: J. R. Caldoon
Dear J.R.,
Thanks so much for submitting your awesome images of a male Eastern Hercules Beetle, our first images of this species this year. June and July are Moth, Caterpillar and Beetle months for our site, and that is the time we get most of our Northern Hemisphere images of representatives from those orders. Thanks also for the care you took in helping to ensure that this magnificent male Hercules Beetle did not become a casualty at the gas station and for that reason, we are tagging your submission with the Bug Humanitarian Award. The lights at gas stations often attract Moths, Beetles and other insects. The exoskeleton of many beetles, including the Hercules Beetles, is quite resilient.
Most welcome! I’m glad I was able to share the photos with you all!
I also have good news! The big guy apparently was just fine, after having a bit of time to recover. When I checked on the beetle a few hours later, the only sign of his presence was that the plant was *still* bent over at the top. I hope he’ll find a mate in the nearby forest!
I probably should also note, from my recent personal experience, that handling one of these lovely little beasts can be a painful time if one is not careful: They are very strong and heavy, and their wee claws and leg-spines are very sharp. I got stabbed a good bit in trying to pick this guy up by the sides of his wing-covers, so I instead ended up enticing him into grappling a pen and getting him into a container that way.