A Fan Page For My Beetles
Bernethia's Beetles are six Blue Death-Feigning Beetles that live in my house. They are adorable little blueberry tanks whose antics are endlessly amusing.
Our household spends a fair amount of time making wild speculations about their motivations, relationships, and inner lives--few of which have any basis in science or reality.
They spend a lot of time relaxing, eating fruit, and ignoring me.
Meet My Beetles!
Big Girl
The lady in my first set of three. She's large and in charge, and gives the boys & The Other One a bumpy ride any time they try to climb on.
She spends a lot of time checking out the perimeter of the tank and digging holes. She is also the most difficult to photograph outside of the tank because she wants to RUN.
Blackbutt
(In Memoriam) The feisty tiny guy in my first set of three. He got his name from an accidental water drip that washed away some of his protective wax coating, revealing the true black color of his exoskeleton.
He loved romancing Big Girl and munching on sweet potato. He was dead for over a day before I realized he wasn't playing. He lies in rest in a little box next to the beetle tank.
The Other One
Named for their wallflower personality, The Other One was at first sort of a third wheel while Big Girl & Blackbutt were inseparable. They never seemed jealous, just happy to do their own thing.
They've blossomed since Blackbutt's untimely demise and the arrival of the second set of three. These days they're just as likely to be found snoozing in a pile with the others as napping alone.
New Girl
New Girl is slightly smaller than Big Girl in body size, but her personality is huge. She never lets being the smallest girl in the group stop her from taking up all the space she needs.
She's always willing to help out Big Girl with a digging project, take a turn checking the perimeter, or share an old grape with Sickly Twin. New Girl is a real class act.
Sickly Twin
The two boys from my second trio were impossible to tell apart, so I always referred to them as the twins. But then this little guy started to have some problems with motor control & general energy levels.
He's really easy to spot now. Some days are worse than others, and he's been quarantined twice & mistakenly put in the dead beetle box once. It's hard to watch him struggling, but we'll hang in there as long as he does.
Strong Twin
The not sickly twin. He's not half the beetle that Blackbutt was, and everyone knows it. Honestly, I don't like him very much.
Ever the bully, he picks on his brother when he's down, and he thinks he can just climb all over Big Girl when she clearly prefers the company of The Other One and New Girl.
What Are My Beetles Doing Now?
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