August 12, 2010Timing…
While the rest of the nation is baking in the heat, Southern California is experiencing an unusually cool summer so far. On many days we’ve barely cracked 70 degrees. No need to say I’m enjoying every balmy moment because once it gets hot, it stays hot up until the holidays.
My peaches didn’t seem to notice the cool weather this year. They bloomed and fruited just about the time they always do. We were picking peaches and plums all the way through June. But then something strange happened the other day. The fig beetles finally emerged from (probably my compost pile). Very late for fig beetles and the poor things missed fruit season in my backyard by at least a month.
There they were, flocks of them flying in the air with no where to go. It’s not like fig beetles seem to know where they’re going anyway, but they were clearly clueless about what to do next. They obviously headed down the road to find something to attack, but at least it’s not my precious peaches this year.
Anita Zantos says:
I thought these were June bugs . . .. . I have seen a few around my house too.
Posted on August 12, 2010 at 8:11 am.
LindaJennings says:
So that’s what those are. I bet they were looking for your compost pile to lay eggs in. They do that in my compost every August, leaving me with millions of ugly white grubs. But my chickens and box turtles consider those to be delicacies, so we don’t mind. By June, they have left and then the dive-bombing egg layers return in August like homing pigeons, circling the vegetable garden, landing in the tomatoes and squash until they zero in on the compost pile and wham-o! But my cats consider them to be prime play toys! They buzz, fly, and crawl, and crunch when you bite them.
Linda
Posted on August 12, 2010 at 3:13 pm.
lisa mertins says:
so sad! more so because i’m just about to tell everybody about the poor fig beetle and send them here and you’re on vacation!
congratulations on the northern expansion 
Posted on August 15, 2010 at 9:25 pm.
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heather says:
Very odd. Our peaches were late. Just started to ripen two weeks ago and are now starting to hit the peak. Everything has been late this year and the fig beetles haven’t shown up yet. Usually they show up in July and drive me batty by flying right into my head.
Posted on August 12, 2010 at 7:55 am.