Beetlemania

We are under attack! The dreaded Japanese beetles have descended upon our neighborhood in full force. Yesterday, I tried to set up our little swimming pool for the boys. I put the pool under the birtch tree in our backyard. My first clue that there was a problem--bugs dive-bombing me. If any of the neighbors were watching, I looked like a crazy lady jumping around and swatting at the air. Next, I went up on our deck to get some toys for the pool. Our deck box was totally covered in beetle droppings, gross!!! Later that day, I was driving through our neighborhood and noticed the infamous green and yellow "beetle bags." The bags are equipped with a special scent that attracts the beetles and lures them into the bag. You could just see dozens of beetles swarming around the different bags.

Brandon has been on a mission to buy a beetle bag for our backyard. He was unable to find any of the disposable beetle bags because they were completely sold out! This morning, he stopped in at Farm and Fleet and shelled out $20 for a non-disposable beetle container. The good news--you can use it forever and just refill the scent pack once a year. The bad news--you have to empty the container yourself. Brandon is totally in charge of the entire process. He has already emptied the bag twice today. I can not even describe the horror of seeing a plastic bag full of creepy crawly Japanese beetles. He brought it in the house to show Owen. I tried to be a brave mom and put a positive spin on the situation. "Hey, those bugs are having a big party. Let's thank dad for saving our tree!" As soon as Owen turned his back, I mouthed to Brandon, "Get those things out of here, that's so disgusting!" I hope this beetlemania ends soon.