A plague of Cockchafers in 1688

Mothman

Just as an intro for those who don't know what Cockchafers/Maybugs are?
Search this forum for Cockchafer (Link may not work)

Going back a few years :pac:
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It is one of the commonest and most destructive of beetles, feeding in the perfect state on the leaves of the oak, beech, poplar, and elm, and sometimes appearing in such numbers as to utterly destroy the foliage over large districts; thus in the year 1688 they are said to have covered the hedges and trees in a district of Galway in such infinite numbers as to have hung in clusters like bees when they swarm. When on the wing they almost darkened the light of day, and when feeding the noise of their jaws might have been mistaken for the sawing of timber. In a short time the foliage of the trees for miles round was so totally consumed that at midsummer the country wore the aspect of leafless winter.

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In 1688 they formed so dense a cloud in Galway that the sky was
darkened to the distance of a league, and the peasants had a difficulty
in finding their way about. They destroyed all vegetation, so that the
country around had the look of winter. Their voracious jaws made a
noise like that caused by the sawing of a thick piece of timber; and
in the evening the flapping of-their wings resembled the distant rolling
of a drum. The unhappy Irish were compelled to cook and eat them,
for want of other food

snowstreams

Thats amazing. Like a plague of locusts so.
Heres the wikipedia link to them! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockchafer
I wonder do we not get plagues like that anymore because of changed landuse, pesticides or maybe deforestation?

trebor28

i found one of these,(or a least i think it was one), on the road outside my house one day. big mofos.
took a few photos on the camera phone but they didnt turn out that great, think a black bird got him a minute later.

heres the best pic.

homolumo

Caught one of these guys when doing a river biotic back in May. Had never seen one and they are indeed big mofos. Most people would be scared of one of them, as for a plague of them....