• Beetles that are always looking for a party

• The other night, my wife and I found ourselves in a rare evening without children. I threw together a nice meal with a sparkling wine, and we went outside to enjoy our spoils on our back patio. Moments later, little black beetles with orange spots were falling into our drinks, scavenging across our dinner plates, and

crawling into nearly every crack and crevice.
• These are picnic beetles (or beer beetles, depending on what fare you are consuming), and they love to party. There are nine "picnic beetle" species around the U.S., and the most common one in our region is Glischrochilus quadrisignatus. 
• Picnic beetles lay their eggs in rotting vegetation, thereby helping to recycle nutrients back into the soil. So, much like many freshmen in college, these beetles are particularly attracted to alcohol and the scents of decaying fruits. The smells of a fiesta worthy of Mardi Gras.
• It is remarkable that after my first run in with the beetles during that few weeks in late June and early July, the troublesome beetles seemed to have disappeared. That is until I went to pick up some sweet corn last week.
• There are at least two distinct generations of picnic beetles in the Great Plains: the first adults start looking for shindigs right around the middle of June. These lay

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