Where's Waldo? - Philolithus densicollis

Video on youtube.com

I uploaded some video clips of the Philo invasion to YouTube, which makes viewing it a lot faster and easier. Be sure to go to full-screen mode for the best effect. Here are the links:

Bug's eye view

Why did the Philo cross the road?

Philos headed south... Why?

Seeing this in-person was even more impressive, of course. At this scale, the hatch/bloom/migration lasted about five weeks. It's gotten worse every year for the last five years, so I really am apprehensive about what next year might bring. I hope that you find the clips interesting.

… HLippold, 22 January, 2009 - 3:25am

Thanks for posting the videos.

I hope for your sake (and the beetles) that they manage to avoid as many streets and buildings as possible during their migration this year.

… Harsi S. Parker, 22 January, 2009 - 6:50pm

That is an impressive number of beetles!

Just out of curiosity... Did they actually occur with this level of density in the wild, or is this a photograph of the contents of one of the many traps you had to put out to collect them from your shop?

… Harsi S. Parker, 21 January, 2009 - 12:26am

This is in a trap, but...

No, they're not QUITE this dense in the wild, but since they were all heading in generally one direction (South, as if...) when they get to an obstacle, they'd pile up like this. What you DON'T see in that photo is that you're seeing only the surface of about 6 inches deep in Philos. You could hear them from 20 feet away. To see what they DID look like in the wild, you need to see them in motion. e-mail me at horseheavn(at)aol(dot)com and I'll reply with an AVI file of the migration in action. It's like something from Hollywood.

… HLippold, 21 January, 2009 - 2:09am

I can't even imagine what the sound was like!

My e-mail address is on my bio page (here), if you want to send me the video.

… Harsi S. Parker, 21 January, 2009 - 7:34pm